The Story of Cecelia Rose
by DejaBlue1972
Summary: Teenage Bobby GorenOC. Bobby's junior year in high school is filled with romance, angst, adventure and other teenage stuff, too. Rated M for language. Chapter 14 is up. Read, review and enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes: Well, here's another story that been rolling around in my head for while. This story actually started out as a small scene that I was going to include in "Bobby's Angel" but I decided to make it a full blown story. I've taken the liberty of making Lewis the same age as Bobby and giving him a first name. (Yes, I know Lewis maybe his actual first name, but until the show actually gives him a full name, I'm going to assume Lewis is a last name.) Here comes the usual disclaimer: LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just taking them for a spin. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

**5/30/08: I'm re-posting to correct a format error.**

* * *

**Wednesday, August 28, 1963  
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D. C.**

"_And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'"_

Frances Goren clapped as hard and as loud as she could at the conclusion of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech. She was bursting with pride to be a part of such a historical event. She didn't care if her husband Richard thought that she was a fool for getting involved with "those Negroes and their problems" as he so bluntly put it. She felt that she had to make a difference, a change in the world. And if getting involved with "those Negroes and their problems" was a way to start, then so be it.

* * *

"Mommy!" Frances looked down and smiled at the angelic face of her 2 year old son, Bobby. He was tugging on the end of her skirt. He held up his arms to her, wanting to be picked up. She gladly obliged him by scooping him up into her arms. She rubbed her nose against his, which made him and her both laugh. Bobby wrapped his arms around Frances' neck and squeezed as hard as he could.

"Ack! Bobby, you're choking me!" she exclaimed as she pried his arms open. Bobby let go of her neck and clapped his hands, laughing. Frances shook her index finger and head at him, a stern look on her face. "No," she said. "That's not nice." Bobby stuck out his bottom lip and pouted, giving his mother a sad puppy dog look. Frances smiled in spite of herself. She knew she couldn't stay mad at that sweet face with the big soulful brown eyes for too long.

* * *

A cute dark skinned little girl wearing a yellow and white checkered sundress with 2 pigtails in her hair, came up to Frances. 5 year old Frank Goren came up behind her. The little girl touched Frances and the black woman standing next to her on their arms. "Miss Frances, Miss Lonnie," she said, "Mama and Daddy said we need to be heading back to the car." "Okay, Claudia. We're right behind you," Lonnie said. Claudia and Frank took off, weaving their way through the crowd. "Frank, Claudia, watch where you're going!" Frances shouted after them.

Lonnie laughed. "If I had half of their energy, I know I'd get the house clean in an hour." Frances chuckled, nodding in agreement. She shifted Bobby from one hip to the other as she and Lonnie walked along. "You want me to carry him for you?" Lonnie asked. Frances shook her head as she said, "No. That's okay. I've got him." Frances smiled as Bobby smiled at her. She ran her fingers through his curly brown hair and kissed his forehead. _"When you and your brother grow up," _she thought to herself, _"you're going to be just like Dr. King and make a difference to change the world to make it better."_

* * *

**Wednesday, April 4, 1968  
New York City, New York**

"Oh my God! I can't believe you're actually CRYING because that man is dead! Frances, you are such an idiot!" Richard Goren yelled. "Who cares if he's dead?!" Frances tore her gaze away from the newscaster who had just reported that Dr. King had been killed to look at her husband. Tears were streaming down her face. "How can you say that?!" she yelled back. "Dr. King was killed for trying to help people! He was killed for trying to make a difference in the world! We should all care!" Richard scoffed and threw up his hands as he shook his head. "God! My wife is stupid and crazy," he muttered to himself.

9 year old Frank Goren and his 6 year old brother, Bobby, were in their room, with their ears pressed to the closed door. "What are they yelling about, Frankie?" Bobby asked. "Sshh!" Frank said sternly. "I'm trying to listen." They listened as their parents argued back and forth. "Is this dead man somebody we know?" Frank shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. The sound of a door slamming loudly caused both boys to jump. They stood very still, holding their breath, as footsteps went passed their door. When they heard another door slam, they both exhaled.

Bobby looked to his brother for guidance. "What we gonna do now, Frankie?" Frank shrugged. "I don't know, Bobby." He sighed before walking to his bed and picking up his jacket. He put it on and said, "I'm gonna go to Mickey's to find dad. You see what's wrong with Mom." "Why do I always gotta check on Mom?!" Bobby said as Frank opened the door. Frank turned around to look at Bobby and said, "Because you're too young to be going into a bar! Geez!" With that, Frank walked out of the apartment.

* * *

Bobby walked quietly towards his parents' bedroom. He knocked softly on the door. "Mom?" he said. "Come in," Frances answered between sniffles. Bobby turned the knob and opened the door. He stood in the doorway, looking at his mother. Frances was sitting on the bed, dabbing at her eyes with some wadded up tissues. "You okay, Mom?" he asked. She nodded her head. He walked towards her carefully and slowly, not wanting to make her any more upset than she already was.

Bobby stopped in front of Frances, looking at her with wide brown eyes. She looked back at him, a sad smile on her lips. She grasped both of his hands in hers and ran her fingers through his unruly curly hair. "What's the matter, Ma?" he asked quietly. Frances shook her head. "Nothing that you should worry about," she said. Bobby tilted his head to the side, giving her a "tell-me-the-truth" look. She chuckled softly at "the look" Bobby had perfected since the age of 4. Frances grunted slightly as she pulled Bobby onto her lap to give him a hug.

* * *

"I want you to always remember something," Frances said. Bobby looked deep into her eyes as he listened. "It's not right to judge people because of their skin color, race, religion or any other differences. You have to take the time to get to know someone before you decide if you want to be their friend or not. Do you understand?"

Bobby slowly nodded his head up and down. He glanced briefly at the floor before looking back into Frances' eyes. "Is it okay to love someone with a different skin color?" he asked innocently. Frances smiled as she nodded her head and said, "Yes, it's okay to love someone with a different skin color." She kissed his forehead and hugged him, gently rocking her body from side to side. _"Whatever bigoted or racist ideas your father has, I pray those ideas don't rub off on you boys."_

**

* * *

**

Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School

16 year old Bobby Goren scowled angrily as he turned the dial on the combination lock that was on his locker. _"For once, why can't you do what I tell you to do?! I asked you to do one simple thing, Bobby! Just one! And you can't even do that right! You go and call your brother! If he's not with you when you decide to return, don't even bother coming back to this room!"_

Frances Goren spat those angry words at Bobby yesterday afternoon from her bed at Saint Joseph Hospital's mental ward. He called Frank's apartment for the 6th time that day and pleaded with him to come see their mother. _"Maybe seeing you will calm her down,"_ he said. Frank told him, for the 6th time, that he'll be there as soon as he could.

* * *

But Bobby knew better. He knew Frank wasn't coming at all. He heard Frank's roommates in the background tell him to hang up and get back to the poker game. _"The hell with this," _Bobby told himself as he hung up the phone. He told Doreen, Frances' 1st cousin, that he was going home and asked her if she could stay with Frances overnight. "Of course, I can, honey," she said. She slipped Bobby a ten dollar bill and told him to get something to eat and get some rest. She'll come by the house to wake him in time for school.

"_I always do what you ask of me, Ma!" _Bobby thought to himself. _"It's not my fault Frank's an asshole just like Dad!" _He threw the locker door open so quickly and forcefully, that Lewis, his best friend since 5th grade, barely had enough time to jump out of the way. "Damn, Bobby," he said as he rubbed his nose, "warn a guy the next time you throw a door open, will ya?"

* * *

Bobby blew out a breath as he shoved 3 of his 4 spiral notebooks into the locker. "Sorry, Lewis," he said. "I didn't see you standing there. I was just…thinking about something." "Yeah, me and my nose could tell." Bobby chuckled. "You okay, man?" Lewis asked. "Mom's been worrying since you and your cousin Doreen left the house yesterday." "Aw, man," Bobby groaned, "I totally forgot about calling your mom. I screwed up again."

Lewis patted Bobby on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, man," he said. "Mom was talking to Doreen when I walked out of the door. You need a place to crash for a while?" Bobby nodded as he closed the door and shut the lock. "Yeah. Mrs. Neely called the frigging case worker as soon as me and Doreen showed up at the door. Damn nosy neighbor!"

Bobby and Lewis started walking down the hall towards their homeroom classes. "Did you call Frank?" Lewis asked. Bobby scoffed. "Yeah, I called him. The jackass! I called him 6 times yesterday after Mom was admitted to the hospital. 6 times! He kept telling me 'I'll be there as soon as I can.' Ha! As if! Do you know he had the nerve to say 'Call Dad. He'll come and help you take care of Mom.'"

"He said that?!" Lewis said in disbelief. "Is Frank crazy?!" "Either that or stoned outta his fucking mind," Bobby said. "I just don't get why Mom loves him more than me. Why she thinks he's better than me. Who gives a rat's ass if he was valedictorian and got a scholarship to Hudson University? Hell, he's probably smoking and drinking his monthly stipend and whatever money Ma gives him anyway."

* * *

Lewis patted Bobby on the back. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a loud booming voice saying, "Robert! Jedidiah! My two favorite people!" Bobby and Lewis both stopped in their tracks and said, "Shit!" They turned around to look down the hall at Dale Patterson, the person that belonged to the booming voice. Dale was 5 foot 11, slender with some muscles, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He was kind of arrogant, thinking he was God's gift to the girls since he was captain of the school's wrestling team. Some of the teachers thought he was quite charming, while others thought he was downright annoying as hell because he was always trying to talk himself into good grades instead of working for them like the other students.

Like some of the other kids at their school, Bobby and Lewis couldn't stand Dale because he was always talking someone into doing for him or with him with a promise of something in return. Dale rarely, if ever, followed through on his empty promises. He backed up those empty promises with more empty promises. Dale waved at Bobby and Lewis as he walked towards them.

* * *

"What does he want?" Bobby asked. "Who knows," Lewis replied, shrugging. "I just know if he calls me by my first name again, I'll punch his lights out." Lewis disliked his given name of Jedidiah, having been named after his mother's great grandfather ("I promised Dad that his grandfather's name would be passed on," Mrs. Lewis always explained to her son). No one called him that except his mother when she was mad at him. Everyone, including his family, called him Lewis.

"Did he ever pay you for fixing that beat up old truck of his?" Bobby asked. Lewis shook his head. "Of course not." He sighed and shook his head again. "I knew I shoulda got those Kiss albums up front before touching that stupid truck." "You know, he's looking quite…red today," Bobby said, observing Dale's arms. "Yeah, he sure does," Lewis said. "Like he's got a real bad sunburn or something." Bobby gave Lewis a sideways glance, a mischievous grin on his face. Lewis returned the grin, nodding. "Oh, yeah. I'm with ya."

"Hey, guys!" Dale said as he playfully jabbed at their stomachs. "This was the greatest summer ever! Me and my cousins had a blast in the truck. How was you guys' summer?" "Great," Bobby said. "Wonderful," Lewis said. Just as the first school bell rang, signaling everyone to head to their homeroom class, Lewis and Bobby said in unison, "Fantastic!" as they each slapped Dale on his sunburned upper arms. Hard. Dale groaned in pain as he rubbed his arms. "Later, Dale," Lewis said. "Yeah, see ya, Dale," Bobby said with a smile. They turned around and walked off, smiling to themselves as they headed towards their separate homeroom class.

**

* * *

**

Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Mrs. Haynes' Homeroom

Bobby slid into the third seat in the first row next to the door just as the 2nd bell rang. "Okay, young people," Mrs. Haynes said as she stood in front of the class, clapping her hands. "Settle down. Settle down." Apparently, no one was listening to her because the kids continued talking and laughing. "Settle down, everyone!" she said a little louder. Still, no one was listening to her.

Finally, Mrs. Haynes put the 1st two fingers of each hand in her mouth and let out a really loud whistle. All talking and laughing died down immediately. She looked around at the class, a smile of satisfaction on her face. "Thank you all very much," she said. "You're welcome, Mrs. Haynes," Bobby blurted out.

* * *

Some of the kids snorted or giggled as Mrs. Haynes turned and looked at him, eyes narrowed. Bobby gave her a his best "what-did-I-do" look. "Mr. Goren, please behave or you will have to explain profusely to Coach Harkins why you missed basketball practice today." "Yes, ma'am" he said, sliding down in his seat a little. A small smile crossed her lips as she shook her head. He gave her a wide grin.

Mrs. Haynes turned her attention back to the whole class. "Well, I'm glad to see you all back from your summer vacation. Safe, sound and ready to expand your minds and gain some knowledge." She crossed over to her desk and flipped open her roll book. She knew most, if not all of their names by heart since she had had them since 9th grade. She turned back around to face the waiting class and said, "Well, everyone, we have a new student in our midst. Cecelia, would you come up here, please?"

* * *

Everyone turned around to look at who Mrs. Haynes was talking to. Sitting in the back of the room, in the corner was a pretty black girl. Her head snapped up at the sound of her name. She smiled sheepishly as she stood up and walked to the front of the class. She was wearing a sleeveless white peasant blouse, sky blue skirt that was above her knees and sandals. She turned around and stood next to the teacher. "Everyone," Mrs. Haynes said, "this is your new classmate, Cecelia Harper."

Cecelia Rose Harper was 5 foot 7 inches tall, with cinnamon colored skin and slender. She had bright dark brown eyes and black hair that was braided into tiny cornrows with clear beads on the ends. She had the deepest dimples anyone had ever seen before. So deep that when she smiled just a little, they could be seen. Cecelia stood up with her shoulders straight like a dancer, but held her head down in shyness.

"Do you prefer to be called Cecelia or something else?" Mrs. Haynes asked. "I like to be called CeCe, ma'am," CeCe said with a soft voice. A couple of kids mumbled mockingly under their breath and snickered. Mrs. Haynes scanned the class to find the offenders. "There will be no more of that!" she said sternly. "Another outburst like that will get _everyone _detention for a week!"

* * *

Mrs. Haynes scanned the class one more time before looking at CeCe with a smile. "Alright, CeCe. Why don't you tell us a couple of things about yourself." CeCe looked at her with wide eyes. Mrs. Haynes nodded encouragingly. "I moved here from North Carolina," she said. "I just turned 16 on the 1st and I like to draw."

"Are you related to Derek Harper?" Bobby asked. Derek Harper was the basketball team's co-captain and star athlete. CeCe looked at him, smiling and blushing at the intense admiring look Bobby gave her. "Yes, I am," she replied quietly. "Derek's my brother." Everyone started murmuring excitedly among themselves at this revelation. No one at that school knew Derek had a sister.

"Thank you, Bobby, for stirring up the crowd," Mrs. Haynes said in an exasperated voice. Bobby gave her another "what-did-I-do" look. "Well, CeCe, thank you for sharing and welcome to New York. You may take your seat" CeCe nodded and hurried back to her seat as quickly as she could.

The first period bell rang. "Okay, everyone," Mrs. Haynes said, "that's the first period bell. Go forth, do good and expand your minds with knowledge" She moved out of the way and headed back to her desk as everyone started filing out of her classroom, talking about Derek Harper's unknown sister, throwing glances over their shoulders at her.

* * *

CeCe stayed behind, waiting for the classroom to empty before she ventured to her first class. She was feeling nervous, being the new kid in a strange place. _"I shoulda stayed in North Carolina. A stranger in a stranger land. That's me," _she thought to herself as she gathered up her spiral notebook and sketchbook, slinging her purse over her shoulder, heading towards the door.

Bobby had stayed back, too. He waited at the door as CeCe approached. She looked up at him, giving him a shy smile before glancing at the ground. "Happy belated birthday," he said. She looked up at him again and smiled. "Thank you." Bobby smiled at her, noticing her beautiful brown eyes and how cute she was with her dimples. "Welcome to the Big Apple, CeCe. I'll see you around." With that, he walked out and headed to class.

CeCe stood there with her mouth open a little, shocked by the warm welcome she just received. Mrs. Haynes had just witnessed the smooth moves of Bobby Goren and the effect he had on CeCe. She smiled to herself as she said, "Cecelia, you better head to first period before you're late."

CeCe turned and looked at Mrs. Haynes, a questioning look on her face. Mrs. Haynes laughed and said, "The girls around here usually chase after Bobby. He must find you very special to make the first move." CeCe's eyes widen at that comment. "Wow," she said softly as walked out. Mrs. Haynes shook her head and chuckled as she opened her lesson plan book. _"This is going to be a very interesting school year," _she thought as she started writing in her book. _"Very interesting indeed."_


	2. Curiosity about the New Kid

**Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Teachers' Lounge, Lunch Time**

"Derek Harper has a sister?" Mr. Collins, the biology teacher, asked Mrs. Haynes. She nodded as she took a sip of her chamomile tea. He scratched his head as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He placed the coffee pot back on the hot plate stove, then picked up his cup and walked over to the table where Mrs. Haynes was sitting. "The new girl that's in my 3rd period class with the dimples, braids, beads and slight Southern accent is Derek's sister?" he asked.

"Yes, Leo," Mrs. Haynes said with a smile, "that's Cecelia Harper, Derek Harper's little sister." She took a bite of her turkey and Swiss sandwich while Mr. Collins scratched his head again. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. _"Good grief! For such a smart man, Leo can be dense sometimes," _she thought. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before asking, "Well…well where did she come from?"

Mrs. Haynes paused mid bite as she looked at Leo with amusement. He sputtered a couple of times. "That's not what I meant, Lonnie, and you damn well know it!" She laid her sandwich down on the paper plate and chuckled. "Just checking, Leo. Just checking." Coach Harkins and Miss Wells, 11th grade English teacher, both walked in on the tail end of Mrs. Haynes' comment. "What are you two talking about?" Miss Wells asked as she sat down next to Mrs. Haynes, placing her sack lunch and soda on the table in front of her. Coach Harkins headed to the coffee pot.

* * *

"Derek Harper's alleged sister," Mr. Collins replied. "Oh, Leo, stop being so dramatic," Mrs. Haynes said teasingly. Miss Wells nodded her head in understanding. "So, that's what has the kids all abuzz today," she said. "What do you know about her, Lonnie?" Mrs. Haynes shrugged. "Only what their mother told Mr. Clayton," she replied, "and that wasn't very much. She told him that something happened to Cecelia when she was 10, so the mother sent her to live with relatives in North Carolina."

"Derek's been in my homeroom class since 9th grade," Miss Wells said. "He never mentioned or even hinted that he had a sister. He just talked about his cousins. I wonder why he never said anything about her." Coach Harkins sat down and said, "Hmmph. She probably did something to embarrass Derek and the family."

Mrs. Haynes tilted her head to one side. "Karl, what could a 10 year old girl possibly do to embarrass her whole family?" she asked. Coach Harkins shrugged. "Anything," he said. "Get pregnant. Kill someone. Run away from home and become a prostitute. Anything." She sighed heavily. "It's so good to know that you're such a positive and upbeat person, Karl," Mrs. Haynes said sarcastically. He shrugged. "Well, you asked. I answered."

* * *

Mrs. Haynes shook her head and bit her tongue. _"Lord, give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick this man in the shins," _she thought to herself. "Has anyone looked at her school records yet?" Miss Wells asked, trying to keep the peace. "I looked at them last week," Mrs. Haynes said. "There's nothing unusual in there. She had been here in the New York school system since kindergarten before transferring to North Carolina. The records from there show she's a very good student, As and Bs with an occasional C every now and then. No history of outrageous behavior or disciplinary problems."

Coach Harkins scoffed. "That means nothing. I still say there's something wrong with her. Otherwise, there wouldn't be all this mystery surrounding her," he said. Mrs. Haynes and Miss Wells both rolled their eyes. "Well, there can't be too much wrong with Cecelia Harper," Mrs. Haynes said. "Otherwise, Bobby Goren wouldn't have made a point of speaking to her after homeroom this morning."

Miss Wells raised her eyebrows. "Bobby Goren? Mr. Tall, Dark and Moody himself spoke to a girl FIRST before she chased after him?" she asked. Mrs. Haynes smiled and nodded, sipping on her tea. "Wow. I'm impressed." "So was I," Mrs. Haynes said. "Cecelia was absolutely speechless. I think I smell love in the air."

"Oh, brother," Mr. Collins said. "Bobby Goren speaks to a girl first and you automatically assume he's head over heels in love. That's so unfair to him." "I agree," Coach Harkins said. "Oh, you hush up, Leo," Miss Wells said playfully. "I'm a hopeless romantic. Don't you dare destroy my delusions." All four teachers laughed as they continued talking about other school related things.

* * *

**Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Cafeteria, Lunch Time**

"Hey, Lewis!" Bobby said loudly over the crowd. "Wait up." Lewis stopped in front of the lunch line door to wait for his friend. He stepped aside to let the other kids go through. "Bobby, hurry up! I'm starving over here!" Lewis said. Bobby laughed as he caught up with him. "Lewis, I've seen how much you eat at breakfast time. You can't possibly be starving." "Ah, shut up! I'm a growing boy." "Oh, yeah. You're a growing boy alright. You're growing wide instead of up."

Lewis nudged Bobby in the arm before giving him a little push towards the door. "Just for that crack, you're buying my lunch today," he said. Bobby sighed. "Are you broke? Again?" he asked as he picked up 2 trays, handing one of them to Lewis. Lewis shook his head. "Nope. I actually got 5 dollars in my pocket. But you seem to forget that you owe me from last week when we went to Tony O's Pizza Place and I paid for everything."

Bobby looked at Lewis skeptically. "I thought I paid for everything at Tony O's," he said. Lewis shook his head again. "Nope. You paid for everything at Pauley's Pizzeria. And that was right after school let out for the summer. You owe me," he said. "Okay, okay, okay! Sheesh. Don't get your panties in a twist, man!" Bobby said playfully.

Lewis looked at the bowl of chocolate pudding he had just placed on his tray. "Bobby, if you weren't my friend and if I wasn't going to eat this pudding, I'd throw it at you," he said. Bobby looked down at him, then rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'd like to see you try," he said. "Order already."

* * *

"Bobby! Lewis! Over here!" a young girl with long brown hair and glasses said as the 2 friends emerged out of the lunch line. Bobby turned his head and saw the girl waving at him. He and Lewis turned and headed in her direction. As they were walking along, a few girls waved and spoke to them. A couple of girls winked at Bobby, who just smiled and blushed. When they reached the table where the brown haired girl was sitting, Lewis said to Bobby, "Man, when I grow up, I wanna be just like you."

Bobby shook his head. "Some of them don't see me," he said to Lewis. "They see Frank." He turned his attention to the brown haired girl and said, "Hey, Mattie." Matilda Jensen, or Mattie as she was known to her friends, was the school's newspaper editor and photographer. She had recently been selected to be on the yearbook committee. "Hey, yourself," she said. "What's shaking, Lewis?" she asked. Lewis shrugged. "Not much, Mattie."

"Oh, my goodness," a female voice said from behind Bobby and Lewis. "Mutt and Jeff have decided to grace us with their presence. I am honored," she continued in a sarcastic tone. "Hey, Tricia," Bobby said with heavy sigh. Tricia Baker sat down across from Bobby, next to her cousin Mattie. "Lewis, aren't you going to speak to me today?" Tricia asked.

* * *

Lewis and Bobby found Tricia to be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but she was likeable once people got passed the sarcastic attitude (if they managed to make it pass the sarcasm). Bobby and Lewis did know one thing for sure about Tricia and Mattie: if they were ever in a jam, they'd be the ones to come to their rescue.

Lewis pasted a big fake smile on his face and said, "Hello, Tricia." She laughed. "You really need to stop making that face, Lewis, or you'll scare somebody," she said. Tricia noticed that Bobby and Lewis each had 3 cheeseburgers and French fries on their plates. She made a face. "Ugh! You two aren't seriously going to eat all that red meat, are you? Think of all the poor cows that died, giving their lives to feed you."

"YOU think about them, Tricia," Lewis said. "I'm going to eat. Just because you've become a vegetarian now doesn't mean I'm going to become one any time soon." Tricia poked out her bottom lip. "I thought you guys were my friends. That you would support any cause I'm into," she said. "Tricia, we are your friends," Bobby said. "But if your cause is going to interfere with my stomach and my eating habits, you can forget it."

"Hmmph!" Tricia said. Mattie waved a dismissive hand. "Forget about the meat versus veggies war. Have you heard the latest news that's going around the school?" she asked. "About some new girl who is suppose to be Derek Harper's sister." "Who hasn't heard about that?" Tricia said. "It's all I've been hearing about since first period. Who is she? What does she look like?" "Do you think she'll give me an interview?" Mattie asked. Lewis groaned. "Ah, geez, Louise! Rona Barrett and Nancy Drew have come out of hiding now! That's just great!" he complained. "Give the poor girl a break."

* * *

"Her name is Cecelia Harper, but she goes by CeCe," Bobby said. "If you want to know what she looks like, there she is." He pointed towards the lunch line door, which CeCe had walked out of. Mattie, Tricia and Lewis all turned their heads in the direction Bobby was pointing. CeCe was looking around for a place to sit when she spotted an empty table in the corner. So she headed towards it. "She just turned 16 and she likes to draw," Bobby continued saying.

"That's her?" Mattie asked. "Mattie, we saw her when we came into the building. Remember?" Tricia said. Mattie nodded. "Yeah, I remember, Trish. I thought she looked kinda funny with the beads in her head." Lewis looked at Bobby. "How do you know all of that about her?" he asked. Mattie and Tricia turned to look Bobby as well. He shrugged and said, "She's in my homeroom class. Mrs. Haynes made her get up in front of the class and introduce herself."

Mattie reached over and pinched the back of Bobby's hand. "You've already met her and didn't tell me?!" she asked. "I'm the newspaper editor. I need to know these things!" Bobby rubbed the spot where she had pinched him. "Ouch! Stop doing that, Mattie!' he said.

* * *

"Bobby, go over there and ask her to sit with us," Tricia said. He gave her a leery look. "I'm not gonna ask her to sit with us if the only thing you two want to do is ask a bunch of nosy questions." Mattie and Tricia pretended to look hurt. "We would never do anything like that," Mattie said. "We're not like some of the gossipy kids around here," Tricia said. "Oh, give me a break," Lewis said, his mouth crammed full of food. "Both of you like to gossip more than anybody I know."

Bobby tuned out the debate between Mattie, Tricia and Lewis. He watched CeCe sit down at the table. He wondered how her first day at this school was going. _"She's probably having a shitty day like I did when I got here and people found out I was Frank's brother," _he thought to himself. He sighed as heavily as he made up his mind to go talk to her. "Listen, guys," he said, "I'm gonna ask her to sit with us, but you have to promise me you won't ask a bunch of questions and scare her."

Tricia and Mattie both crossed their hearts. "I'll keep my journalist mind under control for as long as I can," Mattie said. Bobby looked at Lewis. "What?" Lewis asked, his mouth still crammed with food. "Never mind, Lewis," Bobby said, shaking his head as he stood up and walked towards CeCe.

* * *

CeCe had her hamburger in one hand and a pencil in the other, doodling in her sketchbook when a large shadow fell across her page. "Hey, CeCe." She looked up to see Bobby standing there, looking down at her with a smile, his hands stuffed into his jeans pockets. "Hi," she said shyly. CeCe and Bobby just looked at each other, smiling, an awkward silence settling over them. _"Oh, Lord! He must think I'm some kind of idiot," _she thought to herself. _"Gosh, she's beautiful," _he thought to himself.

"I…I'm Bobby Goren. I'm in your homeroom class," he said to break the silence. CeCe nodded. "I remember," she said. He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb and said, "My friends and I would like for you to sit with us. If…if you want to." She leaned to the side a little to look pass Bobby. She saw Mattie, Tricia and Lewis smiling and waving at her. She smiled at them before sitting up straight in her chair.

CeCe looked at Bobby with wide eyes. "Y'all want ME to sit with you?" she asked. Bobby smiled and nodded. "Sure, we do," he said. He was confused by the look of terror that crossed CeCe's face. "Is something wrong?" She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Uh, no. Everything's fine," she replied softly. Bobby said, "So, you wanna sit with us?"

"Cecelia-a-a Ro-o-o-se Harper!" a male voice shouted. Bobby turned towards the voice. CeCe groaned. "God, why is he yelling my whole name?" she muttered under her breath, putting down her hamburger and pencil. Walking towards them was Derek Harper.

* * *

Derek was 6 foot 1½ inches tall, medium brown skin and slim. He was co-captain of the school's basketball team, walked with a confident swagger like John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever," and played small forward just like his idol, Julius "Dr. J." Erving. He did sport an Afro like Dr. J had for a while, but he got tired of it, choosing to keep his hair cut close instead.

Derek was one of the most popular kids in the school and a star athlete. Many college scouts had come out to see him in action. He wanted to go the same college as Dr. J had attended, but when the University of North Carolina came knocking on his door, Derek couldn't resist. He would be eligible to sign with them as soon as the basketball season started.

"What's going on, CeCe?" Derek asked as he approached his sister with open arms. CeCe smiled as she stood up and hugged her brother. She stepped away from him and shook her head, the beads making a slight clinking noise. "Not much," she said. Derek turned to look at Bobby. "Whatcha know good, Bean?" he said, putting his hand up for a high five.

* * *

"Nothing, man," Bobby said as he gave Derek a high five. A puzzled look crossed CeCe's face. "Bean?" she asked. Derek put his arm around her shoulders. "You see how tall this fool is?" he said. "He's as tall as the beanstalk from 'Jack and the Beanstalk.'" "Oh," she said. "Besides, you gotta watch out for this guy," Derek said. "He leaves a trail of broken hearts just like his brother."

CeCe looked at Bobby, feeling a little deflated at this bit of news about Bobby. He shook his head. "Don't listen to him, CeCe. He's making up stuff." "Uh huh. Sure I am," Derek said with a wink. "Then why are you over here talking to CeCe?" "I was asking her if she wanted to sit with me and my friends," Bobby explained. Derek scoffed. "She ain't got to hang with y'all. She's got me and my friends to hang with. Get your stuff, CeCe."

CeCe did as she was told, gathering up her sketchbook and purse while Derek picked up her tray. He carried it in one hand and put an arm around her shoulders. "See ya at practice, Bean," Derek said over his shoulder, heading towards his table. "See ya, Derek," Bobby replied. CeCe looked back at him longingly, wishing she had jumped at the opportunity to take Bobby up on his offer. She silently mouthed "I'm sorry." Bobby shrugged, giving her a small smile. "It's okay," he silently mouthed back.

* * *

When Derek and CeCe reached his table, a light skinned girl walked up to them. She stood in front of CeCe with her hands on her hips. "Derek, who is THIS you got your arm around?!" she asked, looking CeCe up and down with a sneer. He removed his arm from around CeCe's shoulders. CeCe took a step back, the girl walking even closer. "Cool out, Veronica," Derek said as put his arm up between the girls. "This is my sister, CeCe."

Veronica frowned. "Debbie, is this the country bumpkin you was talking about that's in your homeroom?" she asked, looking over her shoulder. "Yeah, that's her," one of the girls replied. Veronica turned her attention back to CeCe, looking her up and down again. CeCe felt as if she had been hit in the stomach. She wondered what in the world she had done to these people to have them talking badly about her to her face.

* * *

"Wait just a minute," Derek said as he put CeCe's tray down on the table. "How you gonna call somebody country when your ass just moved from some country town in Georgia 2 years ago?" Veronica put her arms around his waist and looked up at him. "I didn't use those words; Debbie did," she said sweetly. Derek grunted as Veronica batted her eyelashes. "Girl, if you wasn't so fine, I'd be mad at you," he said, leaning down and giving her a quick kiss.

CeCe mentally groaned. _"Ugh! Where did Derek find this girl?" _she thought. Veronica stepped away from Derek to sit down. She squealed when he grabbed a handful of her butt and squeezed. "This is my sister, CeCe," he said to everyone at the table. She shook herself out of her thoughts and waved. "Hi," she said softly. Derek introduced everyone that was sitting around the table. She sat down where Derek had placed her tray while he went to sit next to Veronica.

CeCe sat there quietly and ate her lunch while everyone talked to each other, occasionally asking her a question or two. She glanced over to where Bobby was sitting. She blushed and ducked her head as she caught him looking at her. She looked back at him and smiled. He smiled back. _"Maybe I'll get to sit with Bobby tomorrow," _she thought as she started to eat again.

* * *

**Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Miss Wells' 5th Period English Class**

"Okay, everyone," Miss Wells said as she walked into the room. "I want you all to stand up and line up against the wall. I'm going to place you in assigned seats alphabetically." The kids groaned and grumbled as they stood. "Yes, I know. Life is soooo unfair," Miss Wells said. "But we learn to deal with it." She opened her roll book and stood next to the first desk. "Adair," she called, pointing at the desk.

"Goren," Miss Wells called. Bobby pushed himself off the wall and headed towards his assigned seat. "Harper." Miss Wells' eyebrows shot up in surprise. She slowly turned to look at CeCe as she approached her desk. "Welcome to Hudson-Brooklyn, Cecelia," Miss Wells said. "Thank you," CeCe said.

Bobby turned around and smiled at CeCe when she sat down. She blushed, smiled and ducked her head. Miss Wells was flabbergasted as she caught the brief exchange between her 2 students. _"Oh my goodness! Lonnie was right! Bobby Goren IS making a…a pass at her!" _Miss Wells wasn't the only one to notice Bobby smile at CeCe. Several of the other students saw it, too. A few hushed whispers could be heard around the room.

* * *

Miss Wells loudly cleared her throat to quiet the students down. "Cecelia, do you want to change seats with Bobby? That way you can see me and the board more clearly?" she asked. It just dawned on her that CeCe was shorter than Bobby and that he might be blocking her view. "No, ma'am," CeCe said. "I can see the board just fine. I sometimes sat behind a tall kid in my classes at my old school." "Okay," she said as she continued to call the students names.

"I'm glad to see you all back this year," Miss Wells after she had finished assigning the students to their desks. "We're going to have a wonderful year together. This semester we're going to be studying 'Romeo and Juliet.'" A few sarcastic 'YAYs' could be heard around the room. She laughed. "It's nice to see that some of you are excited," she said playfully.

"As we are studying this play, I want everyone to pay close attention to the 1st 6 sections in Act 2, Scene 2. I want the guys to memorize Romeo's part; the young ladies to memorize Juliet's part." The students started to grumble. Miss Wells clapped her hands to quiet them. "I'm not finished yet," she said with a laugh. "I'm going to partner you all up, young man with a young lady. You will get up in front of your peers and act out this scene."

* * *

The kids started protesting as this bit of information sunk into their brains. Miss Wells held up her hands. "I knew you all would feel this way," she said loudly. "That's why I decided to make this interesting." They quieted down enough to hear what Miss Wells was about to say.

"On the day you get up in front of the class to say your lines, there will be 3 judges who will choose the best Romeo and Juliet from each class. Then they will judge those 6 sets of Romeos and Juliets. The winners from the 2nd round of judging will win a pizza party for their class."

A triumphant look crossed Miss Wells' face as the students started talking excitedly amongst themselves. She smiled and picked up her roll book again to begin calling names. She said, "This weekend, I want you all to go out and get a copy of the play. Make sure you and your partner study TOGETHER to win this prize. We'll start studying on Monday."

Miss Wells flipped open her book to the list of partners she already had made out. "Bobby Goren and Cecelia Harper," she called. Bobby turned around and looked at CeCe. She smiled shyly at him. Everyone was too excited about the pizza party to realize that Bobby and CeCe were partners just yet.

Bobby smiled and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Romeo," he said. CeCe laughed lightly, shaking his hand. "Hi, I'm Juliet." Miss Wells kept on calling names as she watched Bobby and CeCe. _"Oh, my!" _she thought to herself. _"This is going to be a very interesting assignment."_


	3. Mean People Say Mean Things

**Author's Note: I haven't got too much to say here (imagine that LOL). Just the usual disclaimer stuff. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy! :o)****

* * *

**

**Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Gymnasium, After School**

"All right, fellas! Hustle! Hustle!" Coach Harkins said to his basketball players as they ran laps around the gym. "Harper! Pick up your feet and get your butt in gear! Thompson! The same goes for you!" He shook his head at his co-captains. _"This popularity is getting into their heads and inflating their egos. This has got to stop!" _2 short tweets erupted from his whistle. "If you guys don't pick up the pace, you'll spend the whole 2 hours running laps!" Coach Harkins said gruffly.

"Run, Derek! Run, Jake! Run!" a group of girls yelled from the bleachers. Coach Harkins turned around and glared at them. "Veronica Stewart! Would you and your friends keep quiet, please!? I need them focused!" "Sorry, Coach Harkins!" Veronica said with a giggle. Her friends, Debbie Smith and Anna Wallace, giggled along with her. Coach Harkins threw up his hands in defeat. "Females!" he muttered under his breath.

* * *

"Hi, Veronica," Sarah Gibbs, a petite, blonde haired and blue-eyed girl, said as she walked up the bleachers. She was followed by her friends, Jessica Newman and Wendy Orson. "Hey, Sarah," Veronica replied. Sarah and her friends sat down. "Have we missed anything exciting?" Wendy asked. "If you call watching the basketball team run laps around the gym exciting, then I'd have to say no," Anna answered.

"Watching boys run around and get all hot and sweaty IS exciting," Jessica said as she flipped her blonde hair out of her face. "Especially if one of those boys is Bobby Goren." She licked her lips as her eyes followed Bobby around the gym. Sarah patted her shoulder. "Easy there, Jess," she said. "Your heaving bosom is about to bust out of your blouse." All of the girls laughed. "Hmmph!" Jessica said.

Sarah said, "Go, Jake!" while Veronica said, "Go, Derek!" when both boys ran by them. They stopped and took a bow as both girls blew them kisses. "Harper! Thompson! If you two don't get back to running this instant, I'll make you run extra laps for a month!" Coach Harkins growled. Derek and Jake kicked it into high gear. "Sorry, Coach Harkins," the girls said as he glared at them.

* * *

Lewis, Mattie and Tricia walked into the gym from one end. They walked up the bleachers and sat down. Mattie reached into her purse and pulled out her camera. "Watch my stuff for me," she said as she stood up and started walking down the bleachers. "Okay," Tricia said. "Just make sure you stay outta the coach's way," Lewis said. "You know he doesn't like to be bothered during practice."

Mattie sighed, turned around and looked at Lewis. "You don't have to tell me that, dodo. I already know." He shrugged. "Okay. I just was trying to keep you from getting chewed out." She rolled her eyes, continuing to walk down the bleachers to the gym floor. Tricia laughed. "Why do you annoy Mattie like that?" she asked. "Because I can," Lewis replied. Tricia laughed again. She happened to glance over where Sarah, Veronica and their friends were sitting. She noticed that Wendy was staring at Lewis. "Don't look now, but you're being stared at," she said.

Lewis turned his head, seeing Wendy Orson looking at him. He smiled and waved at her; she returned the gesture. "Oh, brother," he muttered under his breath. "What's the matter?" Tricia asked. "I thought you liked having girls fall at your feet." "Of course I do," Lewis said. "It's just that…Aw, forget it. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Tricia said. Lewis sighed. "You know that Wendy dates only jocks, right?" he asked. Tricia nodded. "Well, I knew the last guy she dated before he transferred to another school. He wasn't the jock type. She kept pushing him to do something sports related. He kept telling her no, but she pestered him so much that he had to change schools."

"Sounds like she's trying to be like Sarah and Veronica," Tricia mused. Lewis said, "Yeah, that's what I think, too." "So, why doesn't she just chase after Dale Patterson? He doesn't have a steady girlfriend." Lewis grunted. "Dale won't give Wendy the time of day." "Oh."

* * *

"Wendy, stop staring," Sarah said. "I can't help it," she said. "Lewis is so darn cute." "Please," Debbie said. "He's not an athlete. He ain't even popular. Why would you even like him?" "He's Bobby's friend, isn't he?" Wendy asked. "That's enough to make him popular. Besides, when I get through with him, he will be an athlete." Sarah rolled her eyes and said, "Wendy, you can't make a non-jock into a jock. It's impossible." "I can," Wendy said confidently.

Veronica noticed Mattie was taking pictures of the basketball team. "Hey, Waltzing Matilda!" she yelled. "Get up here and take some pictures of us. Now!" Mattie sighed heavily as some of the boys and Veronica's little group laughed. She snapped one more picture of the team before turning around, heading towards Veronica. _"God, I cannot stand people who are full of themselves," _she thought as she climbed the bleachers.

"Hello, ladies," Mattie said with a feigned sweetness in her voice and a fake smile on her lips. "Cut the bullshit and the chitchat, Waltzing Matilda," Veronica said. "Hurry up and take some good pictures of us for the yearbook." The girls giggled again. _"I really cannot stand pushy people," _Mattie thought as she stared at Veronica for a few seconds. "Let me put a new roll of film in my camera," she said as she walked off. "Hurry up, Matilda," Sarah said. "We haven't got all day."

* * *

CeCe walked into the gym from the other end. She sat down on the first bleacher nearest the door. She was watching the boys practice. "Veronica, isn't that Derek's sister?" Sarah asked. Veronica looked down at where CeCe was sitting. "Yeah, that's her," she said wearily. "Did Derek tell you anything about her?" Veronica rolled her eyes. "All Derek told me was that when their daddy died, she didn't handle it too well. So, her mama sent her away to live with family in North Carolina."

"You mean she's crazy?" Anna asked. "Hell, I don't know!" Veronica said. "She could be. Or mentally retarded. Shoot, she probably killed her daddy and they sent her away to live in a loony bin." All the girls went "Oooh." "Well, if she's a killer, then somebody needs to rescue Bobby Goren from her," Jessica said.

"That's right," Anna said. "It gets better. When Miss Wells put everybody in alphabetical order, Bobby smiled at her as if he was interested in her." Jessica made a face. "You saw that, too?" she asked. "I thought I was the only one who caught her making goo-goo eyes at Bobby." Veronica laughed. "Bobby Goren made a pass at her? He'd better get some glasses. Don't he know she's black and not that pretty?" The girls laughed. "I have had a good laugh today," Sarah said. Veronica nodded in agreement.

* * *

CeCe swallowed hard. _"I'm ugly?" _she thought as she listened to Veronica and her friends voices carry toward her. She quietly wiped away a tear. _"What did I do to them?" _She picked up her purse, notebook and sketchbook and walked out as quickly as she could without making any noise. Once the gym door closed behind her, CeCe quickly walked out of the school with tears streaming down her face.

"_I loved my daddy. I didn't kill him!" _CeCe thought to herself as she walked home, hugging her books to her chest. _"I want to go back to North Carolina. I don't belong here. I don't fit in." _She reached into her purse and pulled out a hanky that her aunt Vivian had given her to wipe away her tears. _"I hate this place!"_

* * *

"Uh-oh," Tricia said. "The pacifist is pissed." Mattie walked up to her and Lewis, her face red and nostrils flared. "Let's go," Mattie hissed through her teeth as she picked up her purse and notebooks. "What's wrong with you?" Lewis asked. He got up and followed Tricia and Mattie down the bleachers.

"Hey, Waltzing Matilda!" Veronica called out. "You're suppose to be taking our picture." Tricia and Lewis almost ran into Mattie who had stopped and took a couple of deep breaths before turning around. "I'll have to take your picture some other time. I ran out of film," she replied. Mattie turned back around and headed out of the door with Tricia and Lewis in tow.

When they had got outside of the building, Mattie screamed at the top of her lungs. Lewis and Tricia winced, covering their ears. "What was that all about?!" Tricia asked. "Have you lost your mind?" Mattie glared at her cousin. "I'm screaming because I want to smack Veronica and Sarah upside their heads. Them and their little clique."

* * *

"You still haven't told us what set you off," Lewis said as they all started walking down the sidewalk. "You want to know what set me off?" Mattie asked. "I'll tell you what set me off. Veronica and Sarah and their friends saying mean things about the new girl." She told them some of things those girls had said about CeCe. "Oh, come on, Mattie. You can't be getting mad about anything they say," Lewis said. "You've got to ignore them."

Mattie stopped in her tracks and stared at Lewis as if he had grown an extra head on his shoulders. "Lewis, are you nuts?! You know that anything those girls say will be spread around as if it were the truth! CeCe's gonna be some kind of outcast freak when they get through spreading rumors about her!" "I gotta agree with Mattie on this one," Tricia said. "You remember when I got here last year and Sarah said to somebody that I must be into girls and not boys because I wouldn't go out with Chet Morgan or Dennis Perkins. Hell, I knew like everybody else does to stay away from those 2 perverts."

"Besides, if Bobby does like CeCe, then Jessica will try to make her miserable," Mattie said. Lewis threw up his hands. "Oh, come on. You're being silly. Bobby took Jessica out twice. That doesn't mean they're boyfriend and girlfriend," he said as he started walking off. Mattie and Tricia caught up with him. "You seem to forget, Jedidiah Lewis," Mattie said, "that the last steady girlfriend Bobby had barely lasted 6 months. You know why he and Camilla broke up."

Lewis sighed and rolled his eyes. "Because Jessica kept telling Camilla that she and Bobby had been secretly seeing each other behind her back," he said wearily. "I know the whole sorry story inside and out. And quit calling me Jedidiah." Mattie nodded her head in triumph. "I rest my case," she said. The 3 friends continued walking together in silence, each wondering what they could do to help the new kid fit in at their school.

**

* * *

**

Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Harpers' Apartment Building

The smell of freshly baked macaroni and cheese and the beginning notes of Marvin Gaye's 'Got To Give It Up' playing on the radio greeted CeCe when she entered her apartment. A small smile crossed her face as she laid down her purse and books. She went into the kitchen and found her mom, Rosalie, dancing. She opened the oven door and took out the dish, dancing it to the table. She closed the door with her foot.

Rosalie Harper was 5 foot 5, slim, had cocoa brown skin, brown eyes and straightened black hair that was pushed back by a headband. She was wearing a purple and gold printed dashiki and dark blue jeans. She smiled at her daughter as she continued to dance. "Come on, Pumpkin. Dance with your mama," she said with a laugh as she came around the table.

CeCe giggled as she walked further into the kitchen and started dancing. "Let's do 'The Bump,' Mama," CeCe said as she poked out her right hip. Rosalie bumped CeCe's hip with her left hip. They even got fancy in doing 'The Bump,' bumping right hip to right hip; left hip to left hip and humming along with the song.

* * *

When the song ended, CeCe and Rosalie collapsed in a couple of kitchen chairs, laughing. "Whew! That was a good dance," Rosalie said. CeCe nodded in agreement. She reached over and touched her daughter's hair. "Gayle did a good job on your hair. How much did she charge you?" "I gave her the whole 20 dollars just like you told me to. She gave me back 15," CeCe said. "Lord, Gayle is gonna go broke if she doesn't start charging for doing hair!" Rosalie exclaimed, shaking her head.

"How was your first day of school?" Rosalie asked. CeCe stared at the floor, shrugged and said, "It was okay." "Do you like your teachers? Did you make any new friends?" "My teachers are nice. I haven't made any new friends yet. I ate lunch with Derek and his girlfriend and their friends." A concerned look crossed Rosalie's face as she heard CeCe's voice crack. She reached over and placed her index finger under CeCe's chin to make her lift her head to look at her. "What's the matter, baby?"

A few tears rolled down CeCe's cheeks. "Do you think I'm ugly, Mama?" she asked. "Or retarded or caused Daddy to die?" "I do NOT think any of those things!" Rosalie said. "Who said that?!" CeCe told her mother what had happened in the gym. "Oh my goodness," Rosalie said quietly as she stood up and put her arms around CeCe, giving her a sideways hug. She rubbed CeCe's back, trying to comfort her as she cried.

* * *

"Cecelia Rose, look at me," Rosalie said softly when CeCe's crying subsided. She looked up at her mother. "Mean people say mean things to make themselves feel better. Don't you believe anything Miss Veronica or her spiteful little friends say. You are the most beautiful child, inside and out, in the entire world. I should know because I didn't birth no ugly babies!" CeCe chuckled a little. Rosalie smiled. "You have a good heart and a wonderful spirit," she continued. "And if this boy, Bobby, sees that, it just means he has good taste. You don't have to hang with Derek and his friends if you don't want to. It's okay if you make your own friends."

CeCe smiled. "Thanks, Mama." Rosalie gave her a big squeeze. "You're welcome, Pumpkin. So, tell me about this Bobby person," she said with a smile. CeCe got up and went into the living room. Rosalie followed right behind her. She picked up her sketchbook and flipped to a page. She handed it to Rosalie. "He's in my homeroom class. I sit behind him in 5th period English class. I drew this in class while the teacher wasn't looking," CeCe said.

Rosalie studied the sketch. "He looks kind of familiar," she said. "What's his last name?" "Goren," CeCe replied. "I thought so. He was at the hospital yesterday. His mother was admitted to the mental ward during my shift." CeCe's eyes widen in surprise. "Wow. Is it really serious?" she asked as she sat down on the couch. Rosalie nodded. "Serious enough to keep her in the hospital for a little while."

"My problems are nothing compared to his," CeCe said. "Should I say something to him? Tell him sorry about his mama?" Rosalie handed the sketchbook back to CeCe, kissing her forehead. "You can if you want to. Just be careful what you say. Bobby might be sensitive talking about his mother," she said. "Boys can't be sensitive, can they?" Rosalie chuckled. "Yes, CeCe. Believe it or not, men and boys are human, too. Therefore, they can be sensitive like us women sometimes."

"Go change out of your school clothes," Rosalie said. "I'm gonna finish making dinner." "Yes, Mama," CeCe said as she got up and headed towards her bedroom. _"I think me and Mr. Derek Harper need to have us a serious talk," _Rosalie thought to herself as she went into the kitchen and began to batter some chicken. _"A real serious talk about Miss Veronica."_

**

* * *

**

Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Saint Joseph Hospital

When basketball practice had ended, Bobby had showered, changed back into his school clothes and headed to the hospital to visit his mother. _"Not that she would give a damn if I came by or not,"_ he thought as he rode on the subway. _"Why are people so mean?"_ He was thinking about how both of his parents preferred Frank over him. _"I bet they both wish I hadn't been born." _He thought about how mean it was of Veronica to call Mattie 'Waltzing Matilda.' _"I'm surprised Mattie didn't haul off and hit her. I guess she has become a pacifist."_

A small smile crossed Bobby's face as he thought about CeCe. He had been happy when he saw her walk into the gym and sit down. He had managed to give her a quick smile before he had to focus on practice. Bobby had hoped to talk to her after practice was over. He thought he saw her wiping away tears as she got up and left. _"Maybe I'll ask her tomorrow why she was crying."_ He thought about how nice CeCe seemed to be and wondered if she would give him a chance to take her out on a date. A bigger smile crossed his face at that thought.

* * *

When Bobby arrived at the hospital, Lewis and his mom had pulled into the parking lot. "Hey, Bobby! Wait up!" Lewis called. He waited as they walked across the parking lot. Susannah Lewis immediately wrapped her arms around Bobby's waist to give him a hug. He leaned down as she stood up on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek. "You okay?" she asked as she stepped back to look up at him. Bobby nodded.

Normally, Bobby would have been embarrassed by this display of affection, but with the way things turned out yesterday, he was glad that somebody was happy to see him. Susannah smiled, patted his hand and said, "Good. Let's go see Frances." He stood aside to let her and Lewis enter the building before him. They got into the elevator and rode in silence on their way to the mental ward.

* * *

Bobby got off the elevator first when the doors opened. Lewis and his mother followed him down the hall. A tall, older man with gray hair, wearing glasses and a dark blue suit was talking to Doreen outside of Frances' room when the trio walked up. "Hey, Doreen," Bobby said as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Hey, sweetie," she said. Doreen looked like Frances except her eyes were hazel and her hair was lighter.

"Mr. Graham," Doreen said, "this is Bobby, Frances' youngest child. Bobby, this is Mr. Thomas Graham. He's been assigned as your case worker." Graham extended his hand to Bobby. "Nice to meet you, Robert." Bobby looked him up and down a few times before shaking his hand. "Same here," he mumbled. Doreen then introduced Lewis and Susannah to Mr. Graham.

"The Lewises take Bobby in whenever Frances goes into the hospital," Doreen said. Mr. Graham nodded his head. "Mrs. Lewis, would you mind answering some questions for me?" he asked. "Certainly," she replied. Bobby sighed heavily. "Do you need me here, too or can I go see my mother?" he said harshly. "Bobby! Do not be rude," Doreen said sternly. "You can go see your mother, Robert," Mr. Graham said. "I'll talk to you later." Bobby walked off without saying a word.

Susannah reached into her purse and pulled out 4 quarters, giving them to Lewis. "Go to the cafeteria and wait for me there," she said. "Thanks, Mom," he said. He gave her quick kiss and practically ran down the hall to the elevators.

* * *

Bobby stood in the doorway of Frances' room. She was sitting in a chair, staring out the window. He just stared at her, wondering what she was thinking about. "Hi, Ma," he finally said. Frances turned around and looked at him. She frowned slightly. "Why didn't you come back to say good-bye yesterday!?" she snapped. "I waited up for you until midnight! That was very rude of you to leave without saying good-bye!"

"_I didn't come back because you said not to come back without Frank!" _Bobby screamed in his mind. Instead, he just stood there, looking at her. "Well, just don't stand there like a bump on a log, Bobby! Come and give your mother a hug." He sighed heavily as he moved like a mindless robot towards her. He leaned down and hugged her. Frances tried to hold on, but Bobby stood up and walked over to a chair that was at the foot of the bed.

"Oh, I see. You're mad at me!" Frances said. "You have no right to be mad at me! I taught you manners!" Bobby tensed up. "No, I'm not mad at you, Mom," he calmly said. He wanted to scream at her to shut up so badly. Instead, he took a few deep breaths and tuned her out. _"I have every right to be mad you! But I'm not! I'm just gonna sit here and let you bitch at me like you always do."_ Frances huffed and turned her head to continue staring out the window. "Ungrateful bastard," she mumbled under her breath.

* * *

Bobby and Frances sat there in complete silence, not moving or saying anything. Their silence was broken when they heard Doreen say, "Richard, I really think you should leave." Bobby jumped out of his seat and walked out into the hallway. Doreen was blocking Richard Goren's path when he came out of the room. Behind Richard was Frank. Bobby's mouth dropped open. "What's he doing here, Frank?!" he asked. "Dad gave me a ride here," Frank replied. "Are you crazy, high or both?! Mom doesn't need to see him!"

Mr. Graham touched Bobby's arm, trying to calm him down. "I asked your father to come, Robert. I think it's best for you to stay with your father than with the Lewises. He is your legal guardian after all." Bobby jerked his arm away from Mr. Graham. "I'm not staying with him!" he yelled. "I'll sleep on the streets first before I go anywhere with him!" Bobby turned to Richard and said, "I don't want anything to do with you!"

Richard pushed Doreen aside and walked up to Bobby, who towered over him by 4 inches. "Nobody gives a damn what you want," he said. Bobby could smell the alcohol on his breath. "As long as I live and breathe on this Earth, you WILL do what I say!" Bobby flared his nostrils. "Margie must have told you to go to hell and kicked you out of her house! That's the only reason you come crawling back to Mom!"

Richard raised his right hand and backhanded Bobby across the face. Having been caught off guard, he fell to the floor. A thin line of blood instantly appeared on his cheek. He breathed heavily as he looked up at his father, fire burning in his eyes. "Stay down there, punk!" Richard spat. "It'll be worse if you get up." He yanked his belt off in a wild flourish to prove his point.

* * *

Bobby got up, ready to lunge at Richard. But hospital personnel and security stepped in between them. A couple of guards pinned Richard against the wall. 2 male nurses were trying to get a hold of Bobby, but he kept flailing his arms wildly. "Let go! Let go of me!" he said repeatedly. They finally backed off, holding up their hands.

Bobby's face was flush as he inhaled and exhaled heavily. He stared angrily at everyone around him like he was some kind of mad man. Susannah walked up to him cautiously. She placed her hand on his chest. "Bobby, it's alright. Calm down," she said soothingly. "Let's go find Lewis and get out of here. What do you say?" He looked down at her, still breathing heavily. Finally, he nodded. He turned on his heel and walked down the hall, Doreen and Susannah following him.

Richard laughed loudly. "That's right, punk! Run away! Let a woman fight your battles for you! You are nothing! Nothing!" he said tauntingly. Bobby angrily and repeatedly punched at the down button. Tears of anger stung his eyes as the elevator doors opened. He leaned against the back of the car and shook his head. _"I don't care if he's my father. I HATE him!" _Bobby thought to himself as the elevators doors closed.


	4. Sibling Rivalry

**Author's Notes: Once again, I must apologize for being so late in updating this story. Real life has a way of messing with my writing plans. LOL Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who takes the time to read and/or review this story and other things I have written. I really appreciate it. Here comes the usual disclaimer: LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

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Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Saint Joseph Hospital  
Late afternoon/Early evening

"Mr. Goren, your actions were uncalled for and unnecessary," Mr. Graham said sternly. "You have no right to strike your son like that." The 2 hospital security guards that had restrained Richard Goren had taken him to a waiting room. He was sitting down on a couch. He looked up at Mr. Graham and blew a raspberry at him. "That ungrateful little bastard, unfortunately, belongs to me and the nutcase that is my ex-wife. I'll discipline him as I see fit."

Mr. Graham crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot as he looked at Richard. "Mr. Goren, there is absolutely no need for name calling," he said. "We at Social Services frown upon this kind of abusive discipline towards children." Richard rolled his eyes. "I don't give a damn what you and your holier than thou co-workers think about how I discipline my ungrateful kid. If Bobby were more like his brother here and did what I said, he wouldn't get what's coming to him most of the time."

Mr. Graham looked at Frank, who was standing by the door, fidgeting from one foot to the other. He gave him a crooked smile. Mr. Graham sighed, turning his attention back to Richard. "Nevertheless, Mr. Goren," he said, "I'm going to have to put this incident in my report. My supervisor will have to make a decision about this."

Richard sighed heavily as he stood up. He said, "Look, Mr. Graham, you asked me to come down here and take responsibility for Bobby." He threw up his hands. "Well, I'm here and you saw what happened. Now, you can send Bobby home with me or you can send him home with the Lewises. I really don't care. Right now, I'm going to the apartment that I'm still paying for and getting some rest because I have deliveries to make in the morning."

Frank opened the door as Richard headed towards it. He followed his father out, not saying a word. Mr. Graham stood there in the empty room for a few seconds, stunned by their behavior. He finally opened the door and walked out into the hall. "Frank, don't you want to see your mother?" he called out. Richard and Frank both stopped in their tracks. Frank looked at Mr. Graham, then at Richard, who had a blank expression on his face except for his narrowed eyes.

Frank sighed as he looked at the floor. He looked at Mr. Graham again and said, "I've got other things to do right now, Mr. Graham. I've got a catch a ride with Dad. I'll see Mom later." Mr. Graham slowly shook his head in disbelief as he watched Richard give Frank a pat on the back as they continued walking out. "Unbelievable," he muttered to himself.

**

* * *

**

Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Saint Joseph Hospital  
Cafeteria, Late afternoon/Early evening

When Bobby, Doreen and Susannah walked into the quiet and almost empty cafeteria, they found Lewis sitting in the corner near the television, talking and laughing with an elderly man in a janitor's uniform. "Hi, Mr. Matthews," Susannah said when they reached Lewis. "Hi, Mrs. Lewis," he said as he stood up and extended his hand. "How are you today, ma'am?" "I'm fine, thank you," she said with a smile. "Hi ya, Bobby," Mr. Matthews said. Bobby shook his hand. "Hey, Mr. Matthews." He sat down on a table, pointed at Doreen and said, "Mr. Matthews, this is my cousin, Doreen Reed." Doreen and Mr. Matthews shook hands.

"Mr. Matthews, could I trouble you for a band-aid?" Susannah asked, pointing at Bobby's cheek. Mr. Matthews looked at closely at the injury. He clicked his tongue as he shook his head. "That's not too bad," he said more to himself than anyone. "I'll be right back." Mr. Matthews walked away, heading towards the kitchen.

Lewis turned away from the television to look up at Bobby, noticing his cheek was bleeding. "What happened?" he asked. Bobby shrugged slightly. "My dad," he said quietly, looking at the television. Lewis looked at his mother, a surprised look on his face. She shook her head and silently mouthed, "Later." Mr. Matthews came back with a first aid kit and a damp washcloth. He handed everything to Susannah. "Thanks, Mr. Matthews," she said. "You're welcome," he said. "Just leaving everything here. I'll come back to get it later." He told everyone goodbye and walked away.

* * *

Doreen took the washcloth from Susannah and walked over to Bobby, gently wiping the blood off of his face. "Bobby, look at me," she said. He continued looking at the TV. screen. "Robert Oliver Goren, please look at me." Bobby sighed heavily as he rolled his eyes. "Why do grownups always say your whole name?" he asked. "Because it gets your attention," Doreen said with a smile.

Bobby looked at Doreen. She looked deep into his brown eyes and saw pain, anger, sadness and fear in them. "Why did you tell Mr. Graham to tell Dad to come here?" he asked. Doreen shook her head. "I didn't tell Mr. Graham to tell Richard to come here," she replied. She sighed heavily as she took the bottle of antiseptic and a band-aid from Susannah.

"Mr. Graham asked me if I knew where Richard was," Doreen said as she applied the antiseptic, then the band-aid to Bobby's wound. "I told him what I knew. I was just as surprised as you were to see him." She handed the antiseptic and torn band-aid wrapper back to Susannah. Then she took both of his hands into her hands. "If I had known your father was going to be here, I wouldn't have said anything to Mr. Graham. I'm sorry, Bobby."

Bobby's eyes widen in surprise. _"An adult apologizing to me?! That's a first,"_ he thought to himself. He shrugged and said, "That's okay. It doesn't matter. Mr. Graham's probably going to make go with my dad anyway." "Oh, no, he's not!" Susannah said. "You're coming home with us." Bobby looked at her. "Mr. Graham looks like a tough nut to crack," he said.

Susannah smirked. "Mr. Graham hasn't been blinded by my charming and persuasive personality yet," she said. "He hasn't been blinded by my sparkling personality either," Doreen said. Bobby rolled his eyes while they exchanged looks. "Come on, guys. Let's go home," Susannah said. Bobby and Lewis both stood up. Doreen reached up and gave Bobby a hug. She stood back a little, running her fingers through his hair. "I'll check on Frances first before I talk to Mr. Graham. You don't have to stay with Richard. I love you." He gave her a small, sad smile. "Thanks, Doreen," he said. "I love you, too." She hugged Susannah and Lewis before they all walked out of the cafeteria together.

* * *

Frank was standing on the sidewalk, smoking a cigarette and waiting for Richard to pick him up when Bobby, Susannah and Lewis walked out of the hospital. He walked up to Bobby and hit him in the chest with the back of his hand. "Give me some money," he demanded. "I don't have any money, Frank." "Quit lying to me, man. Ma said you worked at that pizza joint Doreen owns this summer." He took a couple of puffs, blowing the smoke in his brother's face. "Give me some money!"

"I'm not giving you any money, Frank!" Bobby said with a raised voice. "Did you even go in to see Ma?" Frank took another puff. "I ain't got time to deal with Ma," he said. "I'm busy with other things." "Yeah, right," Bobby said sarcastically as he brushed passed his brother and walked towards Mrs. Lewis' car, with her and Lewis following behind him.

"You're selfish, Bobby," Frank called out to him. "If I had money, I'd share it with you." Bobby spun on his heel. He started to walk back towards Frank, but Lewis and Susannah restrained him, blocking his path. "If I'm so selfish, then why am I the only one dealing with Ma's problems?!" he shouted. "You're too selfish and scared to even see your own mother!" "I'm the perfect son. I don't give Ma any grief," Frank said tauntingly. "You, on the other hand, are the reason she's like this. If you'd stop being such a hard ass, she wouldn't get like this."

Lewis and Susannah held onto Bobby with all of their might as he struggled against them to get back to Frank. A scared look crossed Frank's face as he realized that his little brother was trying to come after him. He quickly threw down his cigarette and jumped into Richard's car when he pulled up. Richard laughed as he drove away.

Bobby stopped struggling. He stood there breathing hard. Susannah placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Bobby," she said softly, "nothing Frank said was true. Frances' condition is not your fault." He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Whatever," he said as he turned around and walked off towards the car again.

**

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Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Harpers' Apartment Building  
Early evening

Rosalie Harper placed the plate of fried chicken on the table next to the pot of turnip greens. She glanced at her watch. It read 5:52 p.m. She went out of the kitchen to the closed door of Derek's bedroom. She opened the door and just stood there, looking at the neatly made up bed. "Hmmm," she said to herself as she closed the door. She walked to CeCe's room, knocking on the door before opening it. "Dinner's ready, sweetie. Come set the table." "Yes, ma'am," CeCe said as she closed her sketchbook, getting up from her small desk.

CeCe walked into the kitchen while Rosalie headed into the living area. She picked up the telephone receiver and dialed a number.

* * *

"Hello," a female voice on the other end said.

"Hi, Mabel. It's Rosalie. How are you?"

"Hey, Rosalie! I'm great. How are you, honey?"

"I'm doing good, thanks," Rosalie said with a smile. "I'm sorry to interrupt you all during dinner, but could you put Derek on the phone, please?"

"You're fine, honey. Albert hasn't come down to the table yet. Hold on a minute." Mabel Stewart held the receiver away from her mouth and said, "Derek, your mama's on the phone. She wants to talk to you."

* * *

Rosalie heard her son's voice in the background as he came to the phone. "Hey, Mama," he said.

"Well, I'm certainly glad you have some place to sleep on the weekends and school nights since you can't seem to make it home to your own bed," Rosalie said icily.

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me, Derek Harper. You are in some serious trouble, boy."

"What'd I do, Mama? I ain't done nothing!"

"You ain't done nothing?! You ain't done nothing!? Boy, I know I didn't give you permission to have dinner with the Stewarts instead of with me and your sister. And I damn sure know I didn't give you permission to NOT sleep in your own bed last night."

Derek sighed heavily and said, "Aw, dang, Mama. I can't believe you stressing out about this stuff."

"Derek, don't you dare take that tone of voice with me!" Rosalie said. "You better listen to me because I'm not going to repeat myself. It's almost 6:00. You have until 8:00 to get your butt home. Do I make myself clear?"

"Aw, man! You tripping, Ma! Me and Ronnie are gonna study after dinner. I'll be home by 9:30."

"No! You've got until 8:00 to get home! Not one minute later. Because if I have to come over there to get you, I will embarrass you in front of your girlfriend and her family. Goodbye, Derek!"

* * *

Rosalie slammed the receiver down. She stood there, breathing heavily. "I swear to God that boy is going to make me kill him," she muttered to herself. "Um, Mama?" CeCe said softly. "I'm done setting the table." Rosalie took a deep cleansing breath and let it go before she turned around and followed her daughter into the kitchen. They sat down at the table, bowing their heads. Rosalie said a prayer to bless the food, then they both began to put food on their plates.

"You have any homework?" Rosalie asked. "Yeah. Miss Wells gave us 10 words to use in a story or poem that we have to turn in on Friday," CeCe replied. "You finished with it?" CeCe nodded her head. Rosalie noticed that CeCe was fidgeting with an index card that laying on the table. "What's that?" she asked.

"You know the bookstore that's near where Aunt Viv and Uncle Charlie live?" CeCe asked. Rosalie nodded and said, "Yeah, I do. Mr. Liu owns it. Why?" CeCe handed the index card to her. "When me and Aunt Viv went to the store yesterday, Mr. Liu was there, putting this on the bulletin board," she said. Rosalie read what was written on the card aloud. "Help Wanted. Someone needed to work Monday through Saturday. Flexible hours. Call or come by Liu's New and Used Bookstore." She looked at CeCe. "Is this going to interfere with school?"

CeCe shook her head. "Mr. Liu said I could work from 3 to 5 after school and from 9 to 2 on Saturdays. He's paying 3 dollars an hour and I'll get paid every week on Saturday," she said quickly. "I thought you wanted to take dance lessons from Mrs. Hamilton. She said she could take you only on Saturday," Rosalie said.

CeCe started talking quickly again. "Mr. Liu said I could work my schedule around my dance lessons. With the money I'll be making, I could pay Mrs. Hamilton myself and buy my own sketchbooks and save up some money to buy Derek a nice graduation gift." She looked at Rosalie, pleading with her brown eyes. "Can I take the job, Mama? Please?" Rosalie chuckled. "As long as it doesn't interfere with your schoolwork, you can take it," she replied.

"Thank you, Mama," CeCe said with a squeal. She jumped up and gave Rosalie a quick hug. "I'm going to call Mr. Liu right now." She ran into the living room. Rosalie sat there laughing as she listened to her child talk excitedly on the phone.

**

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Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Basement, Dinner time

Bobby was unusually quiet as he rode home with Lewis and Susannah. They both tried to lighten his mood, but nothing seemed to work. When they walked into the house, Bobby said he wasn't very hungry, so he headed downstairs to their finished basement. He sat down on the couch, staring at the wall in front of him. _"This day has totally sucked!" _he thought to himself. He thought about the things that had happened between him and his family, the mean and hurtful things said by Richard and Frank. _"Damn! Even my own mother is being a…a…a bitch! I can't stand them!"_

Bobby sighed heavily as he started feeling guilty about his feelings towards Frances. His thoughts drifted back to what Richard and Frank had said to him. The more he thought about it, the madder he got. The madder he got, the more he felt like he had to hit someone or something. Bobby jumped up and stalked over to the large punching bag that was hanging up in the corner. He balled up his hands into fists, hitting the bag as hard as he could. The smacking sound of Bobby's fists making contact with the bag and his heavy breathing echoed throughout the room.

Bill Lewis walked down the steps first, followed by Susannah. She was carrying a large bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in her hands. They both stood there, watching a very hurt and angry teenage boy take out his frustrations on a punching bag. Susannah looked up at her husband. "Stay here," he said quietly as walked towards Bobby. She nodded, placing the bowl on the table.

"Hey, Bobby," Bill said. Bobby paused long enough to look at him out of the corner of his eye. He continued hitting the punching bag. "We missed you at dinner." Bobby just grunted. "We're glad you're here with us. The house has been a little too quiet without both you and Lewis making some noise." More grunting from Bobby. Bill looked at Susannah. "Tell him," she mouthed.

* * *

Bill nodded his head. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, then stepped behind the punching bag, grabbing it to hold it steady. Bobby suddenly stopped, fists held up and breathing heavy. Bill peeked from behind the bag and smiled. "Susie and I want you to know that if we have to go to court to become your legal guardians, we will," he said. Bobby frowned slightly as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He turned and looked at Susannah, who was nodding and smiling.

Bill came from behind the bag. He patted Bobby's arm, then walked to stand next to Susannah. She pointed at the food on the table and said, "Your dinner's getting cold. There's some Cokes in the fridge." Bobby let out a sigh as lowered his fists and his body visibly relaxed. A little smile crossed his lips. "Thank you," he said. "You're welcome," Bill said. "Now, come on and eat." He opened his mouth to call for Lewis, but he was already coming down the stairs, eating spaghetti.

"Did you tell him yet?" Lewis asked between bites as he sat down in a chair. "Yes, Jedidiah, we told him," Susannah said. "Mom! Don't call me that!" he said to his parents' retreating backs. Bobby laughed as he pulled 4 Cokes out of the fridge. He handed 2 of them to Lewis. He sat down on the couch and began eating. They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, then Bobby said, "Your parents are pretty cool." Lewis nodded. "I know. I make them that way." Bobby reached behind him and grabbed a pillow. He threw it at his best friend, saying playfully, "Shut up, Jedidiah."

**

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Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Harpers' Apartment Building

At exactly 7:59 p.m. Derek Harper walked into his apartment, slamming the door behind him, causing some pictures on the wall to shake. He was mad because he had been ordered to come home before he was ready. Derek marched straight to CeCe's room and threw the door open, staring at her. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, flipping through her sketchbook. She looked up at her brother, frowning slightly. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, laying the book aside.

Derek didn't say anything. He just walked into the room and grabbed CeCe by both arms. He pulled her off the bed and started shaking her like a rag doll. "Why'd you go and tell Mama that I didn't come home last night?!" he hissed. CeCe struggled to get out of his grip. "Let go of me, Derek! I didn't tell her anything!" He tightened his hold on her arms and shook her again. "Yes, you did, CeCe. Quit lying!"

"I didn't tell Mama anything!" CeCe said, a defiant look in her eye. "Mama ain't stupid! She can figure things out, you know. Now, let go of me before I kick you!" Derek gripped CeCe's arms so tight that his fingernails broke through her skin, causing her to bleed. She kicked him hard in the shin. "Ouch!" he said. He threw her down on the bed, her head bumping into the wall. "It's on now," he said, raising his fist.

"Derek Isaiah Harper! Stop!" Rosalie yelled from the doorway. She had been downstairs sitting on the stoop with some neighbors. She came upstairs when she heard the door slam. Derek turned around. "CeCe kicked me!" he said as his mother stepped into the room. CeCe sat up, rubbing her head. "You started it," she said quietly.

* * *

Rosalie walked up to Derek, pointing at the door. "You go to your room. I will deal with you shortly." she said through clenched teeth. "Mama!" Derek said in protest. She stepped closer to him, her teeth still clenched. "Go now, boy!" He walked off in huff, slamming the door to his bedroom when he got there.

"You okay, CeCe?" Rosalie asked as CeCe stood up. She nodded her head. Rosalie looked at CeCe's arms. "Let's go in the bathroom and get these cleaned up," she said. CeCe didn't say anything as she followed her mother. She sat down on the toilet lid and watched Rosalie clean and bandage her wounds.

"I'll change these for you before I leave for work in the morning," Rosalie said. CeCe silently nodded, casting her eyes downward. "Talk to me, Cecelia Rose. Tell your mama what's going on in there." CeCe shrugged slightly. "I should have stayed in North Carolina," she said softly. "I'm invading Derek's kingdom. I'm not welcome here."

Rosalie sighed heavily. She wrapped her arms around CeCe, squeezing softly. "Well, His Highness is in for a rude awakening. He seems to forget that I'm the Queen and rule over everything." She kissed CeCe's forehead when she looked up at her. "This is your home, too. You're always welcome here. You get ready for bed while I go talk to your brother."

* * *

Rosalie took a deep breath before she opened the door to Derek's bedroom. He was laying on the bed, talking on the phone. "Get off the phone!" she said. "I'll call you back in a few. Bye," Derek said into the receiver before he hung up. Rosalie walked over to Derek, unplugged the phone and snatched it out of his hands. He jumped up and said, "Ma, that's my phone!"

Rosalie slammed the phone down on his desk. "Sit down, Derek," she said sternly. He cringed slightly at the tone of her voice. He sat down as fast as he could. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but I'm going to nip this thing in the bud now." He opened his mouth to say something, but Rosalie pointed her index finger at him. "Keep your mouth shut, Derek. Just because you're going to turn 18 in April doesn't mean I can't bend you over my knee and give you a good whipping with a belt."

"You know you don't EVER put your hands on a female, especially your sister. You also know that you are suppose to be here at home during the school week. I knew you wasn't here last night because your bed was still made up from when I did it on Saturday!" Rosalie shook her index finger at Derek. "Whatever your girlfriend and your friends are telling you to do, I strongly suggest you stop and think about the consequences of your actions before you do anything. You have such a bright future ahead of you. A chance to go to college on a scholarship playing your favorite sport while getting an education."

Derek opened his mouth again, but Rosalie gave him a hard look. "You are grounded for a month for not coming home last night and for putting your hands on your sister. You are to be home by 6:00 every night. For the nights I'm working, I will call here and you'd better answer the phone by the 3rd ring. You're not allowed to have any company unless I'm home." Derek's shoulders slumped. "Can I at least have my phone back?" he asked. Rosalie made a face. "No!" she said.

* * *

"Shit!" Derek muttered under his breath as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Watch your mouth, boy," Rosalie said. She pointed at the door. "Go apologize to your sister." Derek scoffed. "I'm not apologizing to her! She kicked me!" "That's because YOU put your hands on her first!" "So, you not gonna punish her?! That's unfair, Mama!" Rosalie crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight to one side. "What had CeCe done to you to make you put your hands on her?!"

Derek scowled as he looked at the ground, his arms still folded. "Nothing," he mumbled. Rosalie cupped her hand behind her ear. "What'd you say? I couldn't hear you," she said sarcastically. "Nothing. CeCe didn't do anything," he said louder. "That's what I thought you said." Derek blew out a breath. He got up and walked out of the door, Rosalie walking behind him. He knocked on CeCe's door. "Come in," she said.

CeCe was standing up, dressed in her gray t-shirt nightgown and looking out of the window when Derek and Rosalie came into her room. She didn't turn around. Derek sighed. "I'm sorry, CeCe," he said solemnly. She turned around to face him. "It's okay," she said. CeCe looked down at her hands, squeezing each finger. Rosalie patted Derek on the back. "Thank you," she whispered. He looked at Rosalie, then at CeCe. He kissed Rosalie on the cheek, wished them goodnight and walked off to his room.

Rosalie walked further into the room as CeCe crawled into her bed, snuggling underneath the sheet. She turned her face towards the window, looking up at the sky. She didn't want her mother to see the tears falling from her eyes. Rosalie leaned down and kissed her temple. "Good night, Pumpkin. I love you." CeCe looked at her. "Love you, too, Ma." A sad smile crossed Rosalie's face when she saw the tears. She softly stroked CeCe's cheek. "Try to get some sleep, little one. Tomorrow will be a better and brighter day."


	5. Romeo and Juliet

**Author's notes: If I've said it before, I'll say it again: Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read and/or review my stories. I'd especially like to thank everyone from the different countries who read my stuff, too. I had no idea that I was international. I am very, very grateful. Here's the usual disclaimer: LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just using them in my imagination for a little bit. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

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Tuesday, September 6, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Bedtime

"Come in," Lewis said at the sound of the knock at his bedroom door. The door opened and in walked Bill, carrying a medium sized suitcase. Bobby was sitting on the twin bed nearest the window, his back against the wall. Lewis was sitting at one of the desks, writing in a notebook. "You going somewhere, Dad?" he asked. Bill chuckled, shaking his head. "No, son, I'm not going anywhere," he answered. "This is Bobby's." He placed the suitcase on the bed next to him.

"Doreen dropped this off for you, Bobby," Bill said as he sat down in a chair. "How come she didn't come in and give it to me herself?" Bobby asked. He stood up and began unpacking. Bill sighed. "She wanted to get back to the hospital as quickly as possible. Apparently, this afternoon's events upset Frances so much that she had to be put into…restraints." Bobby stopped unpacking and stared at Bill, a look of fear in his eyes.

"Doreen wanted to talk to the doctors to see if she could convince them to take the restraints off," Bill continued saying. Bobby looked down at the ground, twisting the folded t-shirt he had been holding. He just stood there, feeling numb for the moment. _"Restraints," _he thought. _"That means she'll have to stay in the hospital longer."_ Bobby opened and closed his mouth a few times before he spoke. "M-m-maybe I sh-sh-should go and stay with her," he said quietly.

* * *

Bill stood up and grasped Bobby by the shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "No, you don't," he said. Bobby's head shot up. He opened his mouth to protest, but Bill grasped his shoulders more firmly and shook his head. "Doreen doesn't want you missing a whole lot of school. She wants you to come by and visit, but she doesn't want you falling behind like you did in your freshman year."

"But I went to summer school!" Bobby said. "I passed all of my classes and went to the 10th grade. If I have to do that again, I will. It's no big deal!" Bill shook his head again. "Doreen, Susie and I don't want this to interfere with your education," he said. "We all know you can take care of yourself, but we don't want you to have to handle this burden on your own." _"I'm already handling it by myself if my brother and father won't lift a hand to help," _Bobby thought to himself.

"You okay?" Bill asked. Bobby sighed heavily, slowly nodding his head. "Yeah, I guess," he replied. Bill squeezed his shoulders again. "Don't you worry about anything. We'll help you get through this," he said. He sat down while Bobby continued unpacking. Lewis went back to writing. "What are you working on, son?" Bill asked. "English homework," Lewis said.

* * *

Bill nodded his head and said, "I see." He watched Bobby, who had a quiet determined look on his face. Bill sighed heavily inward and shook his head. _"I'd know that look anywhere. That's the 'I don't need anybody' look." _He cleared his throat and said, "If you guys aren't too busy this Saturday, I could really use some help down at the shop." Bobby and Lewis looked at each other, the prospect of earning extra money crossing both of their minds.

"What kind of help, Dad?" Lewis asked warily. Bill chuckled at his son's suspicious nature. "I'm running an oil change special for this weekend only. I sure could use some extra hands," he replied. "How much?" Bobby asked. Bill stroked his chin a few seconds before saying, "I'm willing to pay you both 30 dollars a piece." He reached into the front pocket of his shirt and pulled out 10 tickets. "And tickets to the car show on Sunday," he said.

Lewis' and Bobby's faces lit up. "Dad, how did you score tickets?!" Lewis asked in awe. Bobby nodded in agreement. "We've been trying to get them for a month," he said. He and Lewis eagerly descended upon Bill like little kids who had been waiting for Santa Claus. He laughed as he pocketed the tickets again, standing up and shaking his index finger. "Oh, no. You'll get these on Saturday. Mr. Evans, the guy who's putting together the car show gave them to me," he replied to Lewis' question.

"You, finish your homework," Bill said, pointing at Lewis. He pointed at Bobby and said, "You, finish unpacking." Both teenage boys groaned. "Then I want both of you in bed in 20 minutes. It's getting late." As Bill was heading towards the door, he turned around and said, "Oh, by the way. Tell Mattie and Tricia that I need a clean up crew and that I'm willing to pay. Goodnight, fellas." Bobby and Lewis both said goodnight in unison as Bill left.

* * *

Bobby and Lewis were both in bed, lights out, within 5 minutes of Bill's leaving. "What period do you have Miss Wells?" Bobby asked. "Second period," Lewis replied. "Who's your Juliet partner?" Lewis sighed dreamily. "The lovely DeLane Palmer," he said. Bobby could practically see in his mind's eye the silly grin that was probably pasted on Lewis' face. "What'd you do to get to be her partner?" he asked.

Lewis lay there in the dark, cackling kind of evilly. "I'll never tell," he said. Bobby rolled his eyes, saying, "Whatever." That made Lewis laugh harder. "Who's your Juliet?" he asked. "CeCe Harper." Lewis sat straight up in the bed, turning on his bedside lamp. "The new kid?" he asked. Bobby raised himself up on his elbows and nodded. Lewis let out a low whistle. He asked, "Isn't Jessica Newman in your class?" "Yeah, she is. So?" "You do realize she's going to make your life miserable until you're her partner, right?"

Bobby frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked. Lewis sighed heavily as he smacked his forehead. "You do know that Jess has a major crush on you, right?" Bobby nodded and said, "Yeah." "Then you know she's going to bug the hell outta you until you decide to be her partner." Bobby shook his head. "Jessica can bug me all she wants. I don't want to be partners with her. She knows I don't want to be her boyfriend."

Lewis sighed as he turned off the lamp and laid back down. "Don't say I didn't warn ya when she gets on your nerves," he said. "Good night, Bobby." "Night, Lewis." Bobby laid down, turning on his side. He couldn't seem to turn his mind off as he stared at the wall. _"What if Mom's too far gone this time?" _he thought. _"Maybe this time she won't get to come home. Why isn't my family normal like regular families? God, I can't stand this shit!" _After about an hour had passed, sleep finally overtook his overactive mind.

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
45 minutes before school starts

CeCe covered her mouth as she let out a yawn. She opened her locker and took out her books for her 1st and 2nd period classes, putting them into her satchel. She didn't sleep too well the night before. She actually got up a few minutes before her mother did and got ready for school. Rosalie had changed her bandages and had offered to make her breakfast, but CeCe told her no, that she'd eat breakfast at school.

A small sigh escaped from CeCe's lips as she looked down at her arms. Bruises were starting to show from where Derek had grabbed her. _"Great. Just great. It's bad enough people are looking at me funny because I'm the great Derek Harper's unknown freak of a sister. Now, everybody will be staring at me as the freak with the bruises." _CeCe closed the locker door and headed down the hall towards the cafeteria, lost in her own thoughts. _"I just want to get through this day without any trouble from Derek or a whole lot of questions."_

CeCe was surprised at how many kids were actually in the building as she walked along. Some of them smiled at her; some of them smiled, but then frowned when they saw the bandages. CeCe smiled at everyone she passed, but she fiddled with the satchel strap and looked down at the ground when she saw the frowns. _"Please let me make it through this day," _she thought.

CeCe had been so immersed in her thoughts that it took a minute for her brain to register that someone was calling her name. She turned around and saw Bobby coming down the hall, waving at her. Her eyes widen in surprise as her heart started beating quickly. _"Oh my gosh! Bobby's coming this way!" _CeCe tugged at her short sleeves, trying to cover up her bandages. "Hey, CeCe," Bobby said as he approached her.

* * *

CeCe smiled shyly at him and said, "Hey, Bobby." "What are you doing here so early?" Bobby asked as they started walking down the hall. "I didn't get much sleep last night," she replied. He nodded and said, "Same here." CeCe pointed at the band-aid on Bobby's cheek. "Did you cut yourself shaving?" He snorted and said, "Not even close." A confused look crossed CeCe's face at Bobby's mysterious comment. She wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but she decided she shouldn't be nosy.

When Bobby and CeCe got to the door of the cafeteria line, she stopped so that he could walk through first. But Bobby smiled, pointed at the door and said, "Ladies first." CeCe smiled, glancing downward briefly before walking through the door. Bobby quietly sighed, thinking._ "God, her dimples are cute!"_.

As they were going through the line getting their food, Bobby noticed the bandages and bruising on CeCe's arms. _"What the hell?" _he thought. _"Somebody grabbed her." _He shook his head a little to clear his thoughts. _"I thought my dad was the only one who grabbed me like that." _When they reached the cash register, CeCe began to look in her satchel for her money, but Bobby had already given the money to the cashier. "My treat," he said with a smile as CeCe looked at him with surprise. "Thank you," she said softly.

* * *

Bobby followed CeCe to the table and sat down across from her. "You like it here so far?" he asked as she took off her satchel and laid it in the chair beside her. CeCe shrugged. "It's okay, I guess," she replied. "It's been a while since I've been the new kid at school. It's strange being back home going to school." "Back home? You've been here before?" CeCe nodded. "When Daddy got out of the Army, we ended up in Syracuse so that he could work for a friend of his great uncle Herman."

Bobby was surprised and intrigued by CeCe's answer. "How long did you live there?" he asked after swallowing his food. "Until I was 10, almost 11. That's when Daddy died. Then I moved to North Carolina," she replied. "How come you moved to North Carolina? Why didn't your mom and Derek go with you?" CeCe pressed her lips together and looked down at her plate. She opened her mouth, but couldn't find the right words to answer Bobby's questions. _"How do I tell Bobby that I found Daddy after he had shot himself in the head? That Mama sent me away to get help instead of putting me away in the loony bin like Uncle Herman said to do?" _A couple of tears rolled her cheek.

Bobby grew concerned at CeCe's silence. _"Aw, dammit! Now you're being a big bully,"_ he thought when he saw her tears. _"You made her cry, you idiot!" _"I…I…I'm sorry, CeCe," he said. "I didn't…didn't mean to hurt your feelings." CeCe looked at Bobby as she wiped away her tears. "Oh, no! You didn't hurt my feelings," she said. "Are…are you sure?" She nodded. She reached across the table and squeezed his forearm. "You're probably the only person outside of my family that I've said anything about my daddy to," she replied quietly. "I don't talk about him very much."

* * *

CeCe suddenly realized that she was touching Bobby, so she quickly withdrew her hand. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. Bobby just smiled. "It's okay," he said. "I shouldn't have asked those questions anyway. My mom says I ask questions like I'm a police officer or something." She lightly laughed. They fell into a slightly awkward, but comfortable silence as they resumed eating their breakfast. After a few minutes had passed, Bobby pointed at his cheek and said, "My dad did this."

"Your daddy…hit you?" CeCe asked. Bobby nodded silently. He could see that she was shocked by what he said. "It's no big deal, though. I've been hit a lot worse than this," he said. "That's terrible," CeCe whispered. Bobby pointed at her arms and asked, "Who hurt you?" She hung her head down as she shook it. "No one. I just got in the way." Bobby's shoulders slumped a little as he stared at her. He had hoped that CeCe would confide in him. He didn't know what it was, but he felt connected to her somehow. That he could talk to her, tell her stuff that not even his best friends would understand.

"Maybe we…we can talk again at lunch?" Bobby asked hopefully. CeCe looked at him and smiled. "I'd like that," she said. The bell rang indicating that first period was about to start in 10 minutes, so they hurriedly finished eating. "Thank you," CeCe said as Bobby handed her the satchel after she had taken both trays to the dishwasher window. "Come on. I'll walk you to class," he said. CeCe just nodded, smiling and blushing. He laughed at her reaction, happy to see her dimples.

* * *

"I do not believe this," Jessica said to Wendy. They were leaning against the wall, watching Bobby and CeCe come down the hall together, talking. Jessica's mouth dropped open when she realized that he was escorting CeCe to her class. "No way," Wendy said in awe. "He's walking her to class." Jessica shook her head. "That is so unfair! I've been trying to get Bobby to walk me to my classes since 7th grade. Now this…this broad has been here one day and has him walking HER to her classes."

Wendy clicked her tongue. "That's really unfair," she said. Jessica just huffed and stuck out her lip, but she regained her composure after Bobby told CeCe bye and walked towards them. "Hey Wendy. Hey, Jess," he said as he started to pass them. "Hey, Bobby," Jessica said. She put her arm through the crook of his arm. He stopped and looked down at her. "You wanna walk me to class?" she asked. Bobby politely removed her arm and shook his head. "Sorry, Jess. I don't have time. I gotta get to Biology. I'll see ya in 5th period."

Bobby walked away before Jessica say anything. She huffed and poked out her lip again. "What are you going to do?" Wendy asked. Jessica looked at her and said, "When 5th period rolls around, I'm going to get him to walk me to ALL of my classes AND be my partner for this Romeo and Juliet contest. That's what I'm going to do."

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Saint Joseph Hospital  
Mental Ward, Mid-morning

"Good morning," Rosalie Harper said softly as she entered Frances Goren's room. Doreen smiled at her. She was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Frances raised her head a little. She narrowed her eyes at Rosalie as she put her head back down. She was still in restraints. Doreen patted her hand. "It's okay, Frances," she said soothingly. Frances remained quiet. As Rosalie approached the bed, she noticed the sadness on both of their faces. _"Looks like Mrs. Reed hasn't slept in a while,"_ she thought.

Doreen smiled at Rosalie. "Nurse, do you know when Dr. Archer will be here?" Rosalie quickly scanned Frances' chart before answering, "Dr. Archer's suppose to be here sometime this afternoon after he's made his rounds at Bellevue." She wrote something on the chart, then laid it on the table behind her. "He did, however, leave instructions for us to remove Mrs. Goren's restraints," she said with a smile.

Frances and Doreen looked at each other. When Rosalie had undone one of the restraints, Frances turned on her side and grabbed her cousin's hand. Doreen stood up to get out of Rosalie's way. She stroked Frances' hair with her free hand, humming softly as Frances began to quietly cry.

Rosalie unfastened the other restraint, then stood back to watch Doreen and Frances. "Why are they treating me like an animal?" Frances asked. Doreen sat down. She took Frances' other hand, leaning closer. "Ssshh. Don't talk like that," she said calmly. "I'm entitled to my opinion! To freely speak my mind!" Frances said as she sobbed harder. "They have no right to chain me down like I'm some kind of wild animal!"

Doreen let go of Frances' hand to stroke her cheek. In her most soothing voice, she said, "Frances, you have every right to express your thoughts and feelings. Dr. Archer and the nurses just don't want you to hurt yourself in the process. They're just trying to help you get better. That's all." Rosalie was impressed at how Frances responded to Doreen's voice and demeanor. She cleared her throat and said, "I'll leave you two alone for a little while. Then I'll come back and take Mrs. Goren out for some fresh air." Doreen smiled and nodded. "That'll be nice. Thank you, Nurse Harper." Rosalie smiled and left the room.

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Lunchtime

"Grounded?! For a month!?" Veronica exclaimed. Derek sighed heavily as he opened his locker. He tried to put off telling her that he was grounded for as long as he could, but when Veronica mentioned going to a party on Saturday, he had no choice. "You're telling me this after I told Sylvia and Mike that they could ride with us to Jackie's party?!" Derek looked at her. "Why in the hell would you tell them that when the car belongs to me?!"

Veronica folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one side. "Well, I figured since we're getting married after I graduate next school year that HALF of that car belongs to me! I can invite whoever I want to ride with us. Derek scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What did you do to get grounded anyway?" she asked. "Mama found out that I didn't come home Monday night," he replied. "Did your sister rat you out?"

Derek huffed and said, "No, CeCe didn't rat me out. Mama looked in my room and saw that my bed was still made up from Saturday." Veronica slapped him on the arm. "I TOLD you to mess up your bed before you came to my house!" she said. "But you just wouldn't listen to me. 'Mama ain't gonna find out I'm staying away from home for a couple of days.' I can't believe you're grounded for a whole month because of that!" "That and because I put my hands on CeCe," he mumbled as he closed his locker door.

* * *

Veronica's mouth dropped open. "You're the reason she's got bruises and bandages on her arms?" she asked in disbelief. "Derek, you better hope Miss Wells or Mrs. Haynes don't find out about it. You'll be in some serious trouble for real." Derek shook his head. "CeCe won't tell nobody." He looked over Veronica's head down the hall and threw up the peace sign. "What's up, Tank?" he said.

Thomas "Tank" Holt, one of the school's linebackers, was walking down the hall with some friends. "It's all about you, baby," he said to Derek. "Hey, Tank," Veronica said. "Hey, Ronnie." Derek took Veronica's hand and started walking down the hall with Tank. "I thought you were gonna introduce me to your sister," Tank said to Derek. "I will, man. I will. I've haven't seen her since last night." Tank laughed, saying, "You ain't seen her? Man, don't y'all live in the same house?" "I thought you were talking to Anna anyway," Veronica said. Tank nodded. "I am. I'm talking to Betty Mitchell, too. I can't be tied down with just one girl. I've got to keep my options open. There is more than enough of the Tank to go around." Derek chuckled. "Well, all I gotta say is once you meet my sister, you will stop spreading the Tank around."

"Mom said she's going to sew bells on your underwear if you keep leaving the house without telling anyone," Lewis said. Bobby laughed as he leaned against the lockers while Lewis opened his locker. "I'm sorry about that, Lewis. I…I just couldn't stay still for too long. This stuff going on with Mom is…is too much for my brain to handle." "Just remember what Dad said last night," Lewis said. "You're not by yourself. You got us."

* * *

"I know," Bobby said quietly. His face lit up as he saw CeCe coming down the hall. She gave him a small smile and a wave. "Here she comes," he said. Lewis closed the door and turned around to see who Bobby was talking about. He turned back to his best friend and said, "Ah, young love. How adorable." Bobby thumped him in the arm. "Shut up, Lewis." CeCe stopped in front of them. "Hi," she said shyly to Bobby. "Hey." She turned to Lewis and said, "You're in my 3rd period class. Lewis, right?" He nodded. "Hey, CeCe." Lewis managed to keep a neutral look on his face as he noticed CeCe's bruises. _"Damn! Not you, too" _he thought.

CeCe looked back and forth between Bobby and Lewis. "Is it okay if I have lunch with you guys?" she asked. Bobby inhaled deeply, scratching his head. "I don't know, CeCe," he said. "What do you think, Lewis?" He shrugged. "I don't know, Bobby. We'll probably have to teach her the secret 3 Stooges handshake before she can eat with us." CeCe smiled as she realized they were teasing her. "Is this the handshake where I poke both of you in the eyes?" she asked.

Bobby and Lewis looked at each other. "She's in," they said in unison. CeCe smiled as she fell in step them as they walked down the hall to the cafeteria. "CeCe, you wanna be partners when we dissect the frogs in Biology class?" Lewis asked. Her eyes widen in surprise. "Yeah, sure," she said. CeCe got quiet and listened to Bobby and Lewis talk about working for Lewis' dad and the car show.

* * *

Mattie and Tricia were standing near the cafeteria lunch line door when they both spotted Bobby and Lewis walking with CeCe. Tricia laughed. "Oh my God! The Goren charm has worked its magic," she exclaimed. "Remind me to take their picture before we leave," Mattie said. The girls waved as the group approached them. "Mattie and Tricia, this is CeCe Harper," Bobby said. "CeCe, this Mattie Jensen and Tricia Baker." CeCe smiled at the cousins; they smiled back.

"We'll see you guys at the table," Tricia said as she pushed Mattie towards the lunchroom. "I'm glad you could join us today, CeCe." "Thanks. Me, too," CeCe said. She was about to walk through the lunch line door when Derek yelled her name. She looked at Lewis, then at Bobby and said softly, "You guys go ahead. I'll catch up with you later." She sighed heavily as she moved away from the door to wait for Derek and his friends to come down the hall.

Lewis looked at Bobby. "I'll catch up with you in a minute," Bobby said. "I'm gonna wait with CeCe." Lewis nodded and walked through the door. Bobby went to stand next to CeCe. She looked up at him, giving him a small smile. "You don't have stay," she said. "I know I don't, but I'm going to stay anyway," he said. Derek walked up to them while his group stood back. "Hey, Bean," he said to Bobby. "Hey, Derek." He looked down at his sister and said, "What happened to you this morning? We're suppose to be coming to school together."

CeCe shrugged as she looked down at the ground. "I didn't sleep too well last night," she said. Derek scoffed. "You still mad about last night, ain't you? Damn, CeCe! I done apologized already." She shook her head. "I'm not mad." Bobby narrowed his eyes at Derek. _"You jackass! You hurt your own sister!" _He balled his hands into fists, but then unclenched them. He didn't want to hurt Derek before he had all of the facts.

* * *

Derek and CeCe were both oblivious to the fact that Bobby had tensed up. Derek rolled his eyes at her comment. "Whatever you say, CeCe. Listen, me and these folks are gonna hang out in the gym. Somebody's going to get some pizza. Come on." He turned around and walked towards his friends, but CeCe stayed where she was standing. Derek walked back to her. "I ain't got all day, CeCe. You don't have to hang with Bean and his friends. You got me and my friends," he said.

CeCe looked at Bobby, then at Derek. She realized that she had a choice to make: either try to fit in with Derek and his friends or make new friends on her own starting with Bobby. Rosalie's words echoed in her head. _"It's okay if you make new friends." _CeCe looked at Derek and said, "Y'all have fun. I'm gonna hang with Bobby." Derek frowned. "You're what?!" "I'm going to have lunch with Bobby," she said.

Derek and Bobby stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Bobby looked down when CeCe touched his arm. "Let's go," she said as she walked towards the lunch line door. He nodded, following after her. Derek stood there shaking his head. He thought, _"Frank Goren can ruin as many girls as he wants to. But I'll be damned if I let Bobby Goren ruin my sister!"_


	6. Confession

**Author's Notes: I've been out of high school since 1990, so I can't remember if 6th period was last the class period of the school day, but for this story it is. LOL Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and/or review this story. I'm always grateful. I definitely want to thank you all for your patience. I've got so many ideas buzzing around in my head it's hard to concentrate on one thing. Here's the disclaimer: LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Lunchroom, Lunch Time

"You okay?" Bobby asked CeCe as they went through the lunch line. "Yeah, I am," she said quietly. She looked up at him, giving him a small smile. "Thanks for sticking around." Bobby smiled and shrugged. "It was nothing," he said. "That's what friends do." She smiled again, not too sure what to say. _"He called me his friend." _They walked out through the lunch line door and headed towards the table where Lewis, Mattie and Tricia were sitting.

"Welcome to the table of misfits, CeCe," Tricia said when Bobby and CeCe sat down. "We hope you enjoy your stay." CeCe laughed. "Uh, thank you. I think," she said. Lewis grunted. "Speak for yourself, Tricia. I fit in anywhere," he said. Tricia stuck out her tongue at him. Bobby rolled his eyes and said, "Don't pay any attention to them, CeCe. They'll go on like this for a while." CeCe laughed again.

"Do you like it here, CeCe?" Mattie asked. CeCe shrugged. "It's nice so far." "Have you given any thought to joining any clubs or doing any extracurricular activities, like working for the school newspaper?" "I don't know if I'm going to have any time to do anything," CeCe said. "I'm going to be working at Mr. Liu's bookstore after school." "You'll like working for Mr. Liu," Tricia said. "He's really cool. He lets some of us hang out there in the back area where the 2 pinball machines are." CeCe nodded and asked, "Do you hang out there a lot?" Mattie and Tricia both nodded. "Almost every other weekend," Mattie said.

"They only hang out there because Chase and Brad hang out there," Bobby said with a laugh. Tricia reached across the table and smacked the back of his hand. "Shut up, Robert Goren," she said. Bobby kept on laughing. Mattie and Tricia both rolled their eyes at him, then turned their attention back to CeCe. While the girls were talking to each other, Lewis poked Bobby in the side with his elbow. He pointed and said, "Look, there she is." Bobby turned his head and saw DeLane Palmer walking across the cafeteria towards them. She was tall and tanned, with long black hair and dark eyes. Lewis sighed dreamily. "Isn't she the most beautiful and perfect girl in the whole entire school?" he asked. Bobby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she sure is."

* * *

"Hey, Lewis! Hey, everybody!" DeLane said with a big smile and a perky attitude. Everyone said hi to her. Lewis stood up and smiled at her. "How you doing, DeLane?" he asked. "I'm great, Lewis. How are you?" "I'm good. You want to sit and have lunch with us?" She shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. I've got office duty in Mr. Clayton's office." A look of disappointment went across Lewis' face. "That's too bad," he said. DeLane nodded. "Yeah, I know. Listen, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to Mr. Liu's bookstore this weekend to buy my copy of _Romeo and Juliet_. Do you want me to get your copy, too?"

Lewis had to think quickly if he wanted to spend time with DeLane. "Well, um, I'm working at my dad's shop for a couple of hours on Saturday. How about I swing by your house after I finish there and we go to Mr. Liu's together?" DeLane thought for a few seconds then smiled. "Sure. That sounds like fun," she said. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, Lewis. Bye, everybody." She waved and walked away. Lewis smiled to himself as he sat down. "I am the greatest," he said. "That was impressive," Bobby said. "Yes, very impressive," said Mattie.

"Who was she?" CeCe asked. "Lewis' latest infatuation, DeLane Palmer," Tricia replied. "Oh." "My dad needs a clean up crew to work at the shop this weekend," Lewis said, changing the subject. Tricia and Mattie looked at each other, then at Lewis. "He wants you to come over the house tonight for dinner so he can tell you how much he's paying." "Okay," Mattie said. "CeCe, you want to come over for dinner tonight?" Lewis asked. CeCe shrugged. "I guess I could. I'll have to ask my mama when I get to work," she said. "Make sure you tell her that my folks will take you home."

CeCe nodded as she smiled. She was happy, but feeling a little nervous, too, at being accepted by Bobby and his friends so quickly. _"Maybe I should keep to myself for a little while until I get to know them better," _she thought to herself. Bobby sensed her nervousness, so he leaned over to her and said, "We don't bite. Often." CeCe looked at him and laughed. "That's nice to know. Thank you," she said. Bobby smiled to himself as he started eating his food again, proud that CeCe was beginning to feel comfortable around him.

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Saint Joseph Hospital  
Hospital Grounds, Early Afternoon

Frances Goren was quiet as Rosalie pushed her around the hospital in a wheelchair. She just looked around at the scenery. Rosalie found a cool and shady spot underneath a large tree that was surrounded by lilacs of different colors. She parked the wheelchair there, making sure to lock the chair's wheels. "I thought you might like this spot, Mrs. Goren. I like to come here and think." Rosalie sat down on a stone bench next to Frances.

Frances still didn't say anything. She just stared at the lilacs. "Nothing matters any more," she finally said. "I'll be locked away and no one will care." "I don't believe that, Mrs. Goren," Rosalie said. "I'm sure your family would care. At least, Mrs. Reed seems to care a great deal about you." Frances let a out a wry chuckle. "Doreen would be the only one to care. She can handle the truth about me."

"What about the young man that was with her? Your son?" Rosalie asked. "Wouldn't he care if you were locked away?" "Bobby could care less," Frances said. "He'd probably be glad to have me outta his hair. That way I wouldn't be such a burden on him or his education or his social life." Rosalie shook her head. "I didn't sense that from him. He seemed to be genuinely concerned about you. In his own teenage way, of course." Frances scoffed. "Bobby does things because he thinks he HAS to do them, not because he actually gives a damn."

* * *

Rosalie was surprised by Frances' attitude toward Bobby. She wondered if she really felt that way or was the medicine making her talk like that. "Do you have any children, Nurse Harper?" Frances asked. "Yes, I do. A boy and a girl. They're teenagers," Rosalie answered. "You're lucky. I had 2 boys. Frank's my oldest son." A wide smile spread across Frances' face. "He got a scholarship to Hudson University. He was valedictorian of his class. He's going to be a famous scientist someday."

"Well, I don't know if Derek's going to be famous or not," Rosalie said with a chuckle. "He's going to the University of North Carolina on a basketball scholarship when he graduates this school year." Frances wrinkled her nose. "Bobby plays basketball. He's okay at it, I suppose. I keep telling him he should be more like his brother and do something that would benefit society. Help make a difference in the world. But oh, no. He's stubborn and hard headed. Always does the exact opposite just to be difficult."

Rosalie shrugged slightly. "Maybe we're all meant to help make a difference in the world by finding our own unique path," she said. Frances scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Maybe so," she said, "but Bobby still should follow in his brother's footsteps. Frank's a good role model." Rosalie just smiled. She briefly glanced at her watch, then stood up. "We'd better get back before Mrs. Reed wonders where we ran off to." Frances fell silent again as Rosalie unlocked the wheels and began pushing her back to her room. She looked around and sighed. _"I'll never see the outside world again."_**

* * *

**

**Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Miss Wells' 5th Period English Class**

"Come on, Tony. Do this one favor for me," Jessica pleaded. She and her Romeo partner, Tony Caldwell, were standing outside of Miss Wells' classroom. She was trying to convince him to switch partners. "Why do I have to be partnered with the new kid?" he asked. "There's no telling what's wrong with her. Have you seen the bandages and bruises she's got on her arms today?" Jessica rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Of course, I've seen the bruises. I think everybody has." She waved a dismissive hand. "That's not the point. The point is I want Bobby Goren to be my partner. This is my opportunity to convince him that I'd make a good girlfriend for him."

"Oh my God! Not this again!" Tony exclaimed. "Jess, when are you going to give up this madness? Bobby has made it pretty clear that he doesn't want you as his girlfriend. He only took you out twice!" Jessica folded her arms across her chest as she huffed. "I know I'm the one for Bobby. He knows I'm the one for him. He just doesn't want to see it. I can make him see it if you'd cooperate with me." Tony threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine. Whatever. What's your brilliant plan, Fearless Leader?" he said.

"My plan is simple," Jessica said. "All we have to do is go in and tell Miss Wells that Bobby and CeCe want to switch partners with us. That they were too embarrassed to tell her themselves. When Miss Wells says yes, we'll tell them that she said they have to switch partners because Miss Wells wants CeCe to have a different partner." Tony gave her a leery look. "It WILL work if you take this seriously," she said. "Miss Wells is a easy pushover. She'll believe anything if you look serious." "You have got to be kidding me," Tony said. "Miss Wells is not gonna fall for that." Jessica put her hand on her hip and said, "She WILL if you'd follow my lead."

Tony stood there, shaking his head with his eyes closed. "What do I get in return for going along with this crazy plan?" he asked when he opened his eyes. Jessica bounced on her toes as she put her arm through the crook of his arm. "You do this for me, and I'll talk DeLane Palmer into going out on a date with you," she said. Tony's eyes lit up at that idea as he let Jessica drag him towards the classroom.

* * *

"Uh, excuse me, Miss Wells?" Jessica said. Miss Wells looked up from her writing to see Tony and Jessica standing in front of her desk. "Hi, Tony. Hi, Jessica," she said. "What can I do for you?" Tony and Jessica looked at each other before Jessica said, "We have something to tell you, Miss Wells." "Oh, okay. I'm listening." "Tony and me are gonna switch partners with Bobby and CeCe." Miss Wells blinked a few times. "Really? Have all four of you discussed this?" Jessica and Tony both nodded their heads. "They were too embarrassed to tell you. So, I said I'd tell you," Jessica said.

Miss Wells looked back and forth between her 2 students, a blank expression on her face. She sighed, then nodded her head. "Okay. I'll let you switch partners. I'll make the change in my notebook," she said. A faint "I-got-my- way" smile crossed Jessica's face. _"Gotcha!" _Miss Wells thought to herself. Jessica and Tony both thanked Miss Wells. She smiled and said, "You're welcome. Now, go take your seats."

Miss Wells narrowed her eyes as she watched Jessica sit down. _"Such a smart girl with the wrong kind of ambition," _she thought. She turned her head to watch the rest of her students walk into class. Bobby and CeCe were the last ones to come in. They were talking to each other, with CeCe doing more listening than talking. Miss Wells watched Jessica throw the meanest look in CeCe's direction. _"Just what I thought. Jessica's up to her "make Bobby my boyfriend" campaign again." _She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she stood up, trying to figure out what kind of punishment to come with for Tony and Jessica for lying to her.

* * *

"Tony Caldwell, Bobby Goren, CeCe Harper and Jessica Newman, please remain seated because I need to talk to all of you," Miss Wells said as the bell rang. The other students looked at them, wondering what was going on as they filed out of the door. Tony threw his hands up and gave Jessica a "what's-going-on" look while Miss Wells went to put her "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. CeCe lightly tapped Bobby on the shoulder. "Do you know what's going on?" she asked, a slight tremor in her voice. "No, I don't," Bobby said curtly without turning around to look at her. He watched Tony and Jessica's little non-verbal exchange with anger. "But I think I can figure it out."

CeCe clasped her hands in her lap. She was confused by Bobby's sudden attitude change. _"What did I do to make him mad? I want to go back to North Carolina," _she thought. Miss Wells sat down on the edge of her desk. She leaned to the side a little, pointing at the desk in front of her. "CeCe, please come sit right here so I can see you," she said. CeCe quietly gathered her things. Miss Wells noticed the bandages and bruising on CeCe's arms as she walked towards her. _"Oh, God! Not another abused child! When will parents stop hurting their children?" _She looked at the band-aid on Bobby's face. _"Dammit! I bet his father did that!"_

Miss Wells smiled at CeCe when she sat down. Tony and Jessica exchanged nervous looks. Bobby grunted. "I knew it!" he muttered under his breath. Jessica looked at him, a victorious smile on her face. He rolled his eyes at her, then looked straight ahead at Miss Wells. She said, "Bobby, CeCe, I need to know something. Did either one of you talk to Tony and Jessica about wanting to switch partners for the _Romeo and Juliet_ assignment?" They both shook their heads. "No, ma'am. I didn't," CeCe said. "Me neither," Bobby said. "I see," Miss Wells said as she looked at Tony and Jessica. They slumped down in their seats.

"Do you want to switch partners?" Miss Wells asked. Jessica sat up in her chair. Bobby looked at her as she gave him a big smile and batted her eyelashes. "No, I don't want to switch partners," he said as he gave her a hard look. Jessica slumped into her chair again. "CeCe, do you want a new partner?" Miss Wells asked. CeCe shook her head, saying, "I'd like to keep Bobby as my partner."

Miss Wells stood and stretched a little. "Good. I'm glad we settled this like reasonable adults," she said. She looked at Jessica, then looked at Tony. "Jessica and Tony, starting today for the next 3 weeks, your punishment will be to meet me here after school is over so that we can go and spend 2 hours in the library. You both will be doing some extensive research on William Shakespeare. You will present your papers in front of the class when we get ready to start our contest." Their mouths hung open as they slumped further in their seats. Miss Wells held a slip of paper in each hand. "Here are your tardy slips for your next class."

Jessica and Tony scowled as they got up, taking the slips out of Miss Wells' hand and walked out of the room. She picked up 2 more tardy slips and held them out to CeCe and Bobby. "You can go to class now." Bobby got up, brushed passed CeCe without saying a word and took his tardy slip. She looked down at the floor, trying to figure out why he was so mad. "I don't think Bobby's mad at you, CeCe," Miss Wells said when she handed her the tardy slip. CeCe shrugged. "It's okay. It doesn't matter anyway."

As CeCe headed towards the door, Miss Wells put her hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at her teacher. "If you need to talk to someone about how you got hurt or anything else, my door is always open," Miss Wells said with a smile. CeCe looked down at the floor. "Thank you, but there's nothing to tell," she said softly as she turned back towards the door and walked out. Miss Wells walked back to her desk, sighing heavily. "I hate this job sometimes," she said to herself.

* * *

At the end of 6th period, the last class of the day, Bobby stomped to his locker. He was still fuming at this latest plan of Jessica's to make him her boyfriend. _"I swear if it wasn't wrong to hit a girl, I'd hit her in the jaw!" _Most people scurried out of his way as they caught sight of the look on his face. When Bobby got to his locker, Tony was standing there waiting for him. "What do you want?" he growled as he opened his locker. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. It was Jess' idea to switch partners, not mine."

Tony jumped out of the way as Bobby threw open his locker. He looked at him and said, "To be such a smart guy, you sure are an idiot, Tony!" Bobby poked him in the shoulder. "As soon as Jessica told you this plan, you should have said no," he said angrily. Tony rubbed his shoulder. "I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me?" Bobby blew out a breath. "Get away from me, Tony!" he snapped, slamming his locker shut and walking off.

"Bobby! Wait!" Jessica said. She was practically running down the hall trying to catch him. Bobby stopped, turned around and stood in the middle of the hall. "Thanks for waiting for me," she said as she caught her breath. He looked down at her, a frown on his face. "Why are you so mad? It was just a little joke that backfired," she said. Jessica tried to touch Bobby's arm, but he slapped her hand down. She rubbed her hand. "That hurt, Bobby!"

Bobby frowned even harder. "Jess, you are so lucky that it's wrong for boys to hit girls because I swear I'd punch you in your eye," he said quietly. He leaned down, his face about 3 inches from hers and said, "I want you to stay away from me. I don't even want you speaking to me. Ever!" He spun on his heel and walked away. Jessica stood there motionless and stunned by Bobby's words. She just couldn't understand why he was so upset.

* * *

CeCe slowly walked from the school to the bus stop. She sat down on the bench, glancing at her watch. It would be 15 minutes before the bus arrived. _"This day sucked," _she thought as she watched the people going by. She sighed and hung her head. _"Maybe it'll get better at Mr. Liu's." _As she was looking down, CeCe noticed a pair of size 13 sneakers had stopped in front of her. She followed the legs up and found Bobby smiling down at her.

"Hey, CeCe," Bobby said. "Hi." He pointed at the bench and asked, "Can I sit next to you?" She nodded. Bobby quickly sat down. "Aren't you missing practice?" CeCe asked. He shook his head. "We don't practice on Wednesdays." They looked at each other for a few seconds before looking at the ground. "Bobby, if I did or said something to make you mad, I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to making new friends," she said softly.

Bobby shook his head. "I'm not mad at you, CeCe," he said. "I-I-I'm pissed off at Jessica." CeCe gave him a sideways glance. "You can tell me if you want to." He sighed heavily. "Me and Jessica have known each other since 7th grade. I think she's always had a crush on me. Anyway, I took her out 2 times last summer before school started back. She's been trying to make me be her boyfriend ever since those 2 dates. I had a girlfriend last year named Camilla. We were together for 6 months. Jessica told Camilla that I was secretly seeing her, Jess, behind her back."

CeCe's eyes widen in surprise. "Jessica thinks I'm in her way to becoming your girlfriend?" she asked. Bobby nodded. "Well, you are cute and very nice. I can see why she's after you." Bobby blushed as he turned to look at CeCe. She gave him a crooked smile before she looked away. She let out a sigh of relief as the bus pulled up. She stood up and said, "Here's my bus." Bobby stood up, too. "Yeah, it's mine, too."

* * *

"You going home?" CeCe asked as she boarded the bus. Bobby was right behind her. She paid the fare for both of them. "Thanks," he said when they sat down in the middle of the nearly empty bus. CeCe sat next to the window. "You're welcome. You didn't answer my question." "Oh, that," Bobby said. He hesitated before saying, "I-I'm going to Saint Joseph Hospital to visit someone." "Oh." CeCe knew who he was going to see. She wanted him to know that she knew, so she reached into her satchel and pulled out her sketchbook. She flipped it to the sketch of Bobby she had done and showed it to him.

"Hey! That's me," Bobby said as he took the book from CeCe. "When did you draw this?" "Yesterday in English class," she replied. She took a deep breath while he admired the sketch. "I showed that to my mama," she said. "She's a nurse at Saint Joseph. She said she saw you come in Monday with your mama." Bobby closed the book and handed it back to CeCe. "What she tell about my mom?" he asked. CeCe shook her head as she put the sketchbook back into her satchel. "Nothing really. Just that your mom was gonna be in the mental ward for a little while."

Bobby looked at CeCe. He didn't see the usual fear or disgust in her eyes. Most of the girls that he had told about his mom would either be scared or disgusted by now. "She's schizophrenic," he said. "It's not contagious or anything like that. She's not crazy. She just needs medicine to keep her in her right mind." CeCe nodded. "I know. Mama has told me and Derek all about mental illnesses." "Hmm. You understand better than most people I know." "Does anybody at school know about your mama?" "Mrs. Haynes, Miss Wells and Mr. Clayton are the only adults who know. Lewis, Mattie and Tricia are the only friends who know and understand."

* * *

CeCe looked out the window. She was tempted to tell Bobby about the horrible nightmares she had endured after she found her dad's body. Nightmares that almost put her in a mental ward. She felt that if he was telling her a big secret, she should tell him one, too. Instead, she said, "Derek's the one who grabbed me." Bobby grunted. "Figures he would do something stupid like that. Why did he do it?" CeCe sighed. "Because he thought I told Mama that he didn't come home Monday night."

"Jerk," Bobby said. CeCe turned to look at him. She took his hand, putting it in both of hers. "Please don't feel like that, Bobby. True, Derek's a jerk, but he means well. Besides, I don't belong here anyway. I'm in his way." "How can you say that?" Bobby asked, ignoring the fact that she was holding his hand. "Your brother has no right to hurt you or anyone else. And you have every right to be at home with your mom. He can't take that away from you, either." He finally looked down at his hand. "Do you want to go back to North Carolina?"

CeCe shrugged as she let go of Bobby's hand. "I think I do. It's easier to fit in there," she said. Bobby stared in CeCe's eyes, trying to figure out what to say. "Well, I hope you find something that will make you stay here in New York," he said. She smiled, then turned to ring the bell. "Here's my stop." He stood up to let her out. "Remember to ask your mom about dinner," he said. She nodded, saying, "I will." Bobby sat back down in the window seat as he watched CeCe get off the bus. She stopped on the sidewalk and waved at him. He waved back. He continued waving until he couldn't see her any more. Bobby's heart felt broken already. _"Dang it! I haven't even kissed her yet."_

**

* * *

**

P.S. To the folks or Dallas Cowboys fans who noticed that I named Jessica's partner, Tony: It's merely a coincidence that I named him that. I wasn't thinking of Jessica Simpson or Tony Romo. I swear. LOL I wasn't even aware of it until I went back and proofread this story. Oh, well. Goes to show that I watch too much E! LOL


	7. The First Time

**Author's notes: I want to thank everyone who reads and/or reviews this story and anything else I've written. I always appreciate it. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just taking them for a spin in my imagination for a while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Mrs. Haynes' Room  
After school

"Please tell me why I'm teaching hormone raging high school teenagers instead of pre-pubescent elementary school children," Miss Wells said. She was standing in the doorway of Mrs. Haynes' room. She looked up from her writing pad and shrugged. "Because you like to be tortured," she offered. Miss Wells laughed as she walked into the room and sat down directly in front of the teacher's desk. "Okay, smart aleck. I'll remember that wisecrack the next time you want to have a philosophical debate with someone over the age of 16," she said. It was Mrs. Haynes' turn to laugh. "You've got me there, Evie," she said. "What's going on?"

Among all of the teachers at Hudson-Brooklyn High School, Mrs. Haynes and Miss Wells were the most popular with the students and other teachers. The students always went to them first before going to the guidance counselors whether they needed advice or someone to listen to their problems. Both of them had been offered principal positions at various other high schools over the years, but they always turned them down. (Mrs. Haynes used to say "There is only so much ass I'm willing to kiss.") They loved teaching and interacting with their students too much to stop teaching.

Miss Wells said, "Jessica Newman and Tony Caldwell had the nerve to lie to me today." Mrs. Haynes frowned. "What? Why?" she asked. Miss Wells went into detail about Jessica's plan to be partners with Bobby. Mrs. Haynes shook her head in disbelief. "So, what's the punishment for this tall tale?" she asked. "2 hours of research on Shakespeare after school for 3 weeks." "Ouch! That's gonna cut into somebody's social life for a while." Miss Wells nodded her head and smiled. "I know. I'm such a meanie."

* * *

"Lonnie, have you seen Bobby Goren today?" Miss Wells asked. Mrs. Haynes shook her head. "Not since yesterday in homeroom," she said. Miss Wells sighed heavily before she said, "Well, Bobby's sporting a band-aid on his cheek. There looked to be some bruising under it." "I hadn't heard of any fights he's been in lately. Maybe he cut himself…shaving," Mrs. Haynes said as her voice trailed off. She rubbed her temples as she shook her head. "Oh, God. Please tell me that his father is not back in his life again."

"I don't know," Miss Wells said with a shrug. "I thought you might have heard something by now." Mrs. Haynes said, "No, I haven't heard anything. But I will call the Lewises to find out what's happening." Miss Wells fidgeted in her seat. "Are you ready for some more news?" By the tone of her voice, Mrs. Haynes knew she was about to hear something bad. "Tell me, Evie," she said with a sigh. "I'm guessing you didn't see the bandages and bruises on CeCe Harper's upper arms when she came to 4th period class today."

Mrs. Haynes sighed heavily. "No, I didn't. The kids were already seated when I got back from Mr. Hansen's room. She sat over by the door near the back, so she was one of the first ones outta here after class was over." "Don't feel bad, Lonnie," Miss Wells said. "I couldn't get her to say anything to me." Mrs. Haynes inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "I'm starting to feel like I'm too old to care about our students' futures any more," she said. Miss Wells frowned. She said, "Lonnie Mae Haynes, don't you dare give up on these kids. Because if you, my mentor and my rock, give up, I'll damn sure quit this shit for real."

Mrs. Haynes let out a wry chuckle. "Alright, Evelyn Christine Wells. If you won't quit, I won't quit, either," she said. Miss Wells smiled. She stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm having a meeting of the newspaper staff in my room in a few minutes. Maybe tomorrow we can find out what's going on with Bobby Goren and CeCe Harper," she said. Mrs. Haynes nodded her head. "Good idea. I'll let you know what I find out from the Lewises."

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Liu's New and Used Bookstore  
Late afternoon

A bell made a tinkling sound as CeCe opened the door to Mr. Liu's bookstore. "Hi, Mr. Liu," she said to the middle aged Asian man who was sitting on a stool behind the counter. He was reading the newspaper. "Hello, Cecelia," he said with a smile. "How was your day?" She shrugged. "It's was okay." He got off the stool, motioning for her to follow him. "Come with me. I'll show where you can put your things." Mr. Liu led CeCe to a room in the back that had a small kitchen area, a desk and a couple of chairs. The bathroom was off to the side.

"You can hang your satchel there if you like," Mr. Liu said, pointing the set of hooks on the wall. CeCe did just that. "Thanks for giving me the job, Mr. Liu," she said. "I really appreciate it." He laughed. "You're quite welcome, Cecelia. You sounded very excited on the phone." "This is my very first job. Plus, I like being around books anyway." "Let me show you around." Mr. Liu showed CeCe around the store, showed her how to use the cash register and told her what little chores she had to do, like stocking the shelves and some sweeping.

CeCe realized that the store was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside as she followed Mr. Liu to the back area that Mattie and Trish had mentioned. Sure enough, there were 2 pinball machines and both were being played by a couple of teenage boys. There was a couch, a couple of easy chairs and coffee table, the multicolored area rug underneath it was faded and frayed. One girl was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a book. 2 other girls where sitting on the couch, talking.

* * *

"That's my daughter, Tammy," Mr. Liu said. He pointed to the girl sitting in the chair. She looked up and smiled at the mention of her name. "Tammy, this is Cecelia Harper. She's going to be working here after school." Tammy raised her hand and said, "Hi." CeCe smiled and waved back. "Shouldn't you be heading off to class?" Mr. Liu asked. His daughter looked at her watch. "Thanks for reminding me, Pop," she said as she stood up and gathered her purse and books. She kissed her father on his cheek and walked away.

"May I use your phone, Mr. Liu?" CeCe asked once she and Mr. Liu had returned to the front of the store. He nodded and said, "Sure. Help yourself. I'm going to sweep out front." She walked to the room in the back, reaching inside of her satchel and pulling out a spiral notebook. She flipped it open to a couple of phone numbers. She went over to the desk and picked up the telephone receiver.

* * *

"Saint Joseph Hospital. How may I direct your call?" the nasally female voice on the other of the line said.

"Mental ward nurses' station, please" CeCe said.

"One moment, please." The phone went silent in CeCe's ear for a few seconds before a voice said, "Nurses' station. Nurse Harper speaking."

"Hi, Mama," CeCe said.

"Hey, Pumpkin. How are you? Are you at Mr. Liu's?"

"I'm fine. Yeah, I'm at Mr. Liu's already."

"Good. Make sure you do your homework, CeCe."

CeCe sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mama. Can I ask you something?" "Sure."

"Bobby Goren asked me to have dinner with him at his friend Lewis' house. Can I go."

Rosalie was silent for a full minute before she answered. "Are there going to be any other kids there?"

"2 girls, Mattie and Trisha, are going to be there, too," CeCe replied. "Lewis' parents will take me home."

Rosalie blew out a breath. "Okay. You can go. Make sure you're home by 9:00."

"I will, Mama. Thanks. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie. Bye."

* * *

CeCe told Rosalie goodbye, then hung up the phone. She picked up the receiver again, dialing another number.

"Lewis Automotive Shop," the rough male voice said.

"May I speak to Jedidiah Lewis, please?" CeCe asked.

"Yeah. Hold on a sec." The man moved the receiver away from his mouth and yelled, "Hey, Jed! There's a girl on the line for ya!"

CeCe laughed to herself as she heard Lewis grumbling in the background. "Hello," he said.

"Hi, Lewis. It's CeCe."

"Hey, CeCe. What's up? Your mom gonna let you have dinner with us?"

"Not much. She said yes. I have to be home by 9:00 though."

"No problem. What time do you get off from work?"

"I'm off at 5:00."

"Okay. My sister Cara is coming by here to pick me around that time so we can pick up Bobby from the hospital. We'll swing by and get you first, then head to the hospital."

"Okay. Thanks, Lewis. I'll see you when you get here."

"Bye, CeCe." "Bye, Lewis."

CeCe hung up the phone, then put her notebook back into her satchel. She headed out of the room to find Mr. Liu.

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Saint Joseph Hospital  
Mental Ward, Late afternoon

Bobby sighed heavily as he got off the elevator and headed towards Frances' room. The previous day's events had started replaying in his mind over and over again as he got closer to the hospital. He kept telling himself that he wasn't going to let anyone or anything upset him, but Bobby knew deep down that if Richard or Frank showed their faces again, no one would be able to stop him from trying to bodily harm to them.

Bobby smiled at the lone nurse that was sitting at the nurses' station. She smiled back at him. As he passed her, he noticed that her nametag read 'Harper.' He stopped in the middle of the floor and sighed. Rosalie watched Bobby as he turned around and headed back towards her. When he reached the desk, he said, "Uh, Nurse Harper?" She nodded. "Can I help you?" she asked with a smile.

Rosalie could tell that Bobby was nervous as he looked down at the ground and started fidgeting. "Are-are-are you CeCe Harper's mom?" "Yes, I am," she replied. Bobby put his books down on the desk. He extended his hand out to her and said, "I-I-I'm Bobby Goren. I go to school with CeCe." She shook his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Bobby. CeCe showed me the picture she had drawn of you. She captured your handsomeness quite nicely."

* * *

A big smile broke out on Bobby's face. He ducked his head at the compliment. "Th-Th-thank you," he said. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to figure out the best way to ask Rosalie if CeCe could come to dinner at Lewis' house. _"Spit it out, Goren," _he thought to himself. Rosalie smiled to herself. _"He's probably trying to ask if CeCe can have dinner with him." _She decided to spare him the agony of asking by saying, "CeCe just called a few minutes ago and asked if she could have dinner with you at your friend Lewis' house. I told her she could. She has to be home by 9:00."

Bobby let out a small sigh of relief. "I'll make sure she gets home on time." Rosalie chuckled. "I'm know you will," she said. "It-it was nice to meet you, Nurse Harper," he said as he picked up his books. "Same here, Bobby." He waved at her over his shoulder as he headed back towards his mother's room. Rosalie followed him with her eyes. She felt a little sorry for him as he stood and stared at the door of Frances' room. _"Poor kid. He's too young to have the weight of the whole world on his shoulders."_

"_You've got to go in there eventually, you know," _Bobby thought. He inhaled and exhaled deeply. He was trying to prepare himself for the sight of Frances in restraints. He took one more deep breath, then pushed the door open and walked inside. Instead when Bobby walked into the room, he found Frances sitting up in the bed and Doreen sitting in a chair next to the bed. "Hey, sweetie," Doreen said as she got up. She walked over and gave him a hug. Frances looked at them with a mixture of sadness and jealousy. _"Why can't you ever be that way with me? Your own mother?!" _she thought to herself.

* * *

Doreen took a step back. She reached up and turned Bobby's head to the side so that she could get a better look at his injury. "Did you change this band-aid?" she asked. Bobby nodded. He looked at Frances. "Hey, Mom," he said quietly. She didn't say anything. She just stared at him. Finally, she patted the bed and said, "Come here. Let me see your face." Bobby looked at Doreen, who smiled and nodded her head. "Go on," she said softly.

Frances crossed her arms over her chest when Bobby sat down on the bed, laying his books on the table. Doreen went back to sit in her chair. She had seen the little exchange between him and Doreen. "In case you've forgotten, Robert Oliver Goren, I'm still your mother," she said icily. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he mumbled as he looked over her head out the window. Frances balled her hand into a fist, preparing to slap Bobby in the face, but Doreen gripped her wrist tightly. Frances turned her head to look at her. Doreen shook her head. "Don't you dare do that, Frances," she said in a low but firm voice. "There has been enough violence for one day."

Frances relaxed as she took in Doreen's words. Bobby looked down, saw Doreen holding onto Frances's wrist. "Figures," he scoffed. As he began to get up, Frances caught him by his arm with her free hand. "Bobby, wait," she said. He looked down at her. "Ma, if you don't want me here, just say so. I'll stay away," he said. He plopped back down on the bed and stared at the floor, refusing to look at Frances any more. She touched his injured cheek lightly. "Of course, I want you here."

Bobby didn't say anything. He sat there scowling at the ground and chewing the inside of his cheek. He bit down so hard that he tasted blood. Frances sighed. She looked at her youngest son, waiting for his inevitable snide remark. Instead, he stood up, picked up the newspaper that was laying on the table and went to sit in the chair at the foot of the bed. He opened the paper, putting it up in front of his face. "Lewis is coming to get me in a couple of hours," he said. "Okay," Frances said. She looked at Doreen, who patted her hand and smiled. "Everything will be fine," she whispered. "Just give him some time."

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Liu's New and Used Bookstore  
Early evening

Mr. Liu was straightening some books on a shelf while CeCe was handing a male customer his change when Lewis walked into the store. He waited by the door. "Thank you for coming in," CeCe said as she put 3 books in a small paper bag. The male customer smiled at her, taking his bag and walked out. "Hey, Lewis," CeCe said with a smile. "Hey, CeCe. You ready?" he asked. "I gotta get my satchel. I'll be right back." CeCe walked away.

"How are you, Lewis?" Mr. Liu asked. "I'm okay, Mr. Liu," he replied. "You coming by the shop Saturday for the oil change special?" Mr. Liu nodded. "I will be the first one in line." Lewis laughed. "Not if Mrs. Capparelli decides to camp out overnight so that she can be the first one through the door." He and Mr. Liu both laughed because they both knew about Mrs. Capparelli's dogged determination to always having be the first customer at Lewis Automotive when it came time to get her car serviced. "I'm ready," CeCe said when she returned from the back room, her satchel hanging from her shoulder. "See ya Saturday, Mr. Liu," Lewis said as he headed towards the door, CeCe following right behind him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Liu," CeCe said over her shoulder. "Bye, you two," Mr. Liu said.

CeCe followed Lewis to a maroon 2 door 1977 Grand Prix. Sitting in the driver's seat was a 20 year old woman with long, light brown hair. She was wearing blue coveralls with a white t-shirt underneath. Lewis held the seat forward so that CeCe could get into the back. "Hi. I'm Cara, Lewis' sister," the driver said once CeCe had gotten settled. "Nice to meet you." She was looking in the rearview mirror at CeCe, who smiled at her. "I'm CeCe. Nice to meet you, too." Lewis got in and closed his door. Cara put the car into drive and headed towards the hospital.

"Lewis tells me you're new to Hudson-Brooklyn," Cara said. CeCe nodded and said, "Yeah. I am." "You like it?" CeCe shrugged. "It's okay so far." Cara laughed. "If you can stand hanging out with Jed here, you'll do just fine." "Hey! I'm sitting right here, ya know," Lewis said. "And quit calling me 'Jed.'" CeCe and Cara laughed. Cara turned on the radio as she talked to Lewis and CeCe.

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Saint Joseph Hospital  
Mental Ward, Early evening

Lewis and CeCe got off the elevator and walked down the hall towards Frances Goren's room. As they neared the nurses' station, CeCe nudged Lewis in the side. "That's my mama," she said, pointing to the nurse who had her head down. Lewis followed her to the desk. "Hi, Mama," CeCe said. Rosalie lifted her head, a little surprised to be hearing her daughter's voice. "Hey, Pumpkin," she said. "What are you doing here?" CeCe pointed at Lewis. "This is Bobby's friend, Lewis. We came to pick Bobby up." Rosalie turned her attention to Lewis. "Hi, Mrs. Harper," he said. She smiled at him. "Hello, Lewis."

Lewis turned to CeCe and said, "I'm gonna get Bobby. I'll be back." "I'll go with you," she said. "See you later, Mama." Rosalie nodded and smiled. "Later, sweetie," she said to CeCe's retreating back. She raised her eyes towards the sky. "Thank you for allowing my child to make new friends," she said aloud softly.

* * *

Bobby got up and placed the newspaper in the chair when Lewis and CeCe walked into the room. CeCe stood partially hidden behind Lewis. Bobby gave CeCe a big smile, which made her blush and look at the ground. Doreen and Frances both had surprised looks on their faces. "Hi, Lewis," Doreen said. "Who's your friend?" Lewis stepped aside so that they could look at CeCe. "This is CeCe Harper," he replied.

"Hello," CeCe said softly. "Hi, CeCe," Doreen said. "I'm Doreen. This is Frances, Bobby's mom." Frances sat there silently, arms folded across her chest. "Hmmph!" she grunted as she looked CeCe up and down. Bobby groaned. "Ma, don't," he said under his breath as he went to pick up his books. Frances glared at him. "I'll do what I damn well please," she hissed. She turned her attention back to CeCe. She grunted again. "Hmmph!"

CeCe looked down at the ground, fidgeting with her fingers. She started to feel nervous as she could see the fight that was brewing between Bobby and Frances. Bobby sighed heavily as he quickly kissed Frances' cheek. "I'll see you later, Doreen," he said. He walked out of the door as fast as he could. CeCe and Lewis practically ran to keep pace with him. They were feeling winded by the time they reached the elevator and got inside.

"Are you okay?" CeCe asked Bobby. He didn't say anything. He shook his head and stared straight ahead. She looked to Lewis for some help. He shrugged. When the elevator reached the first floor, Bobby and CeCe followed Lewis to the car. He and CeCe got in the back, Bobby in the front. "Hey, Bobby," Cara said cheerily. He gave her sideways glance and grunted. He turned his head to stare out of the window. "Okay," she said to herself, starting the car.

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Dinner time

Mattie and Tricia were sitting on the steps when Cara pulled up. She, Lewis, Bobby and CeCe all got out of the car. Bobby had walked into the house without saying a word. "What's wrong with him?" Mattie asked. Lewis sighed and said, "Don't ask." "Mom, we're home," Cara said as she entered the house, followed by Lewis. Tricia, Mattie and CeCe brought up the rear. Susannah came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dish towel. "Hi, guys," she said. "Hi, Mattie. Hi, Tricia." She was a little surprised to see CeCe standing there. "Oh. Uh, hi. I'm Susannah Lewis. And you are?" CeCe held out her hand. "Hi. I'm CeCe Harper," she said nervously. Susannah smiled as she shook her hand. "Hi, CeCe. Glad to meet you."

"What's for dinner, Mom? I'm starving," Lewis said. "We're having pot roast. We'll eat as soon as your dad gets back with the lemons and sugar I asked for," Susannah replied. She pointed at the books that were on the table. "Where's Bobby?" she asked. "Probably in the basement," Lewis said. Susannah just nodded. "Cara, come help me in the kitchen. Lewis, you and your friends can hang out upstairs until Bill gets back."

Cara headed off to the kitchen. "Come on, guys," Lewis said. "Um, can I go check on Bobby? Make sure he's okay?" CeCe asked. "Sure, you can," Susannah said with a smile. She pointed at the door that led to the basement. "Just go through that door." "Thank you, Mrs. Lewis." "I'll take your satchel, CeCe," Mattie said. CeCe thanked her as she handed the satchel to her. Susannah headed back to the kitchen; Tricia and Mattie followed Lewis upstairs.

* * *

CeCe went down into the basement. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stood there, watching Bobby hit the punching bag. She quietly walked over to where he was and stood there. Bobby saw her out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't say anything. He hit the bag a few more times before he stopped. He turned to look at CeCe. "I'm sorry that my mom was rude to you," he said. CeCe shrugged. "It's okay. I probably shouldn't have been there anyway."

Bobby blew out a breath. "She was just being ruder than usual. She was just finding an excuse to pick a fight with me." He looked at the ground. "There are times I wish…I wish I didn't have a mother." CeCe stepped up to him, grabbing his wrist with both hands. "Don't say that, Bobby," she said. "Everybody has a mama that loves them." He scoffed. He looked her in the eye and said, "My mom doesn't love me. Hell, my dad doesn't even love me. They love my brother Frankie more than me. I'm the 'mistake' that shouldn't have even been born. I bet if I go and blow my brains out right this minute, they wouldn't even notice or care!"

CeCe looked at the ground, shaking her head. She sniffed as she wiped away a tear. "You shouldn't think like that," she said softly. "If you take your life, someone will always miss you. Your family, your friends, even your enemies and strangers will miss you." "Who told you that?" Bobby asked. "My granny," CeCe said between sniffs. Bobby looked at her, but she looked at the ground. "I-I-I didn't mean to upset you again. I'm sorry."

CeCe looked up at Bobby. "I'm fine. You didn't upset me," she said, giving him a small smile. He smiled at her. "Good. I'm glad," he said. CeCe and Bobby looked into each other's eyes for a long time. Before he knew what came over him, Bobby leaned down and kissed CeCe on the lips.


	8. Reaction

**Author's Notes: Well, I thought I was going to have Derek and Bobby bump heads in this chapter, but the more I wrote, the more I realized I had too many ideas for that to happen. Sooooo, I hope I'll get to that in the next chapter. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to chlark4 to make up for the 'cruel' way I ended the previous chapter. LOL. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations and adds to your enjoyment of the story. Thank you (and everyone else) for reading this story. I'm very grateful. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a little while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o) **

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Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Dinnertime

"Set the table, please, Cara," Susannah said as she started to put frosting on the cake. "Okay, Mom," Cara replied. She got some plates and glasses out of the cupboard and took them out to the dining room table. She hummed to herself as she began to set the table. Susannah had just put the last bit of frosting on the cake when the phone rang. "You want me to get that?" Cara asked. "That's okay, sweetie. I've got it." Susannah put the spreading knife and bowl into the sink before she walked over to the phone that was hanging on the wall.

Cara continued setting the table while Susannah was on the phone. She paused near the kitchen doorway, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. She couldn't hear a word her mother was saying because she was speaking in a low and hushed tone. _"Must be talking to somebody about Bobby,"_ Cara thought to herself. _"That's the only time she ever talks like that." _She had been so preoccupied with her eavesdropping and thoughts, she didn't hear Susannah walk up behind her.

"You forgot the silverware, Miss Nosy," Susannah said with a smirk. Cara jumped about 2 feet into the air. "Mom! You scared me!" she squealed, putting her hand over her racing heart. Susannah gave her a sly grin as she placed the utensils on the table. "I've told you about doing that." Cara sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mother. I know you have," she said sarcastically. "But you only talk like that when you're talking about Bobby. We're his family. We should know what's going on."

Susannah pinched both of Cara's cheeks and smiled. "I'm glad you're concerned about Bobby. But you don't have to worry. Your dad and I will handle everything. You just concern yourself with college and getting good grades." "Mom, I'm not a little kid any more. I'm a grown woman. I can handle anything you tell me about Bobby, you know." Susannah lightly chuckled. "Yes, sweetheart. I know you're an adult," she said.

Cara tilted her head to the side and said, "But you're still not going to tell me what you said on the phone about Bobby." Susannah tapped Cara on the nose with her index finger, giving her a "mother-knows-all" smile before walking back into the kitchen.

* * *

CeCe, holding onto Bobby's wrist with both of her hands, pulled herself up onto her toes to better lean into the kiss from him. Exactly 30 seconds had passed when they came up for air. They just stared into each other's eyes for a little bit. "Wow," CeCe softly exclaimed. Bobby smiled. He looked down and noticed that she was holding his wrist and up on her tiptoes. She smiled sheepishly as she lowered herself back to the floor. "Sorry. Ballet."

Bobby chuckled as he looked at the ground. He was feeling conflicted about what just happened. _"You wanted to kiss her. You got your wish. You jerk! You shouldn't have done that! Now, she'll think that you're pressuring her into having sex or something." _CeCe wrung her hands together as she stared at her feet. This was the first time she had ever kissed a boy. She wondered if she had done it correctly. Bobby sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. "I shouldn't have done that," he said. She looked up at him, a confused look on her face. "Why?" she asked softly.

"_Because according to my brother, any girl that lets you kiss her without going on a date will have sex with you," _Bobby thought to himself. Instead, he shrugged, shaking his head. "You wouldn't understand." CeCe asked, "Did I kiss you wrong?" He made a face as he looked at her. "Why would you say that?" She looked at the ground and shrugged. "You're the first boy I've ever kissed," she replied quietly. "I've seen lots of kissing scenes in movies, but I haven't practiced with anyone."

* * *

Bobby scoffed lightly. "You've never kissed a boy before? I find that kinda hard to believe," he said. She looked up at him. "Honest. I'm telling the truth," she said. "I believe you, CeCe. It's just that…I thought you would have left a boyfriend or 2 behind in North Carolina." Her beads rattled together as she shook her head. "No boyfriends. I liked a couple of guys, but they didn't want anything to do with me. I wasn't popular or pretty enough for them."

"I think you're very pretty," Bobby mumbled quickly as he looked at the ground. He blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. CeCe's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Thank you," she said softly. He looked at her, opening and closing his mouth a few times, trying to find the right words to say. Finally, he said, "I-I-I shouldn't have kissed you because…because…I-I-I don't want you to think I want something from you." A confused look crossed her face. CeCe didn't understand what Bobby was talking about, but she slowly nodded her head and said, "Oh, okay."

Bobby sighed heavily and threw up his hands. "I-I-I don't know how to explain it," he said as he gestured with his hands. "There are some things about me, about my family, that you-you-you wouldn't understand!" "You can tell me. I'll try to understand," CeCe said. He shook his head. He turned around and started hitting on the punching bag again. She stood there for a minute, looking at him. Her mind flashed back to the first night she spent in North Carolina at Henri Rose's home, her maternal grandmother, after her father's death. _"Some people have so much chaos in their lives that they don't know how to express their thoughts or feelings. All you can do, my pretty cinnamon girl, is just let them be and wait for them to open up."_

CeCe decided to follow Nana Rose's advice. She went and sat down on the couch, watching Bobby hit the punching bag. _"He'll probably never tell me why he shouldn't have kissed me,"_ she thought to herself. _"But I'm gonna wait and see."_

* * *

"Susie, I'm home," Bill Lewis said as he walked into the kitchen from the garage. "Hi, honey," she said, closing the refrigerator door. He walked over to her and kissed her cheek, handing her a bag filled with lemons and sugar. "Thank you very much, kind sir." Bill bowed and said, "You're welcome, kind lady." She laughed as she went to work on making lemonade.

"Where are the kids?" Bill asked. "Cara's on the phone talking to her roommate, Jennie," Susannah replied. "They want to go to Atlantic City next weekend to see Jennie's uncle Bruno perform his magic act at one of the casinos." Bill grunted. "Two young women in AC by themselves? Without a chaperone? I don't think so," he said. "Oh, Bill. You're overreacting. You know darn well that if Cara and Jennie go to AC, then their 2 other roommates and the guys who live next door to them will go, too." "I'm still not impressed by a bunch of barely 19- and 20 year old kids going to Atlantic City by themselves without any kind of supervision."

Susannah stopped cutting the lemons to put her hands on her hips. "Well, would you feel better if you and I went with them?" she asked. Bill stroked his chin as he mulled over what his wife just said. "Yes, I would feel better, but I don't see how we can go." She smiled and said, "The casino is letting Bruno have some free rooms and tickets for all of his guests. I've already called Doug and told him to take care of the shop while you're gone. We're leaving early Friday afternoon after the kids are finished with their classes." She went back to cutting the lemons.

* * *

Bill narrowed his eyes at Susannah. "You could have just told me that, you know," he said. She just chuckled. "Where are the rest of the kids?" he asked. "Lewis is hanging out upstairs with Mattie and Tricia. Bobby is down in the basement, probably hitting the punching bag again." Bill shook his head. "I guess I should be grateful he's taking his anger out on an inanimate object instead of an actual person." "He's got company with him," Susannah said. Bill made a face. "What kind of company?" "The cute kind with dimples."

"There's a girl down there with Bobby?" Bill asked in awe. Susannah smiled and nodded. "Who is she?" "According to Mrs. Haynes, her name is CeCe Harper. She's Derek Harper's little sister and she just moved back up here from North Carolina." "Mrs. Haynes called?" "Yes," Susannah replied. "Miss Wells told her about the band-aid on Bobby's face and her suspicion about how and why it was there." "Richard Goren needs to burn in hell," Bill muttered angrily under his breath.

Susannah looked at her husband. "Bill, don't let Richard Goren upset you," she said softly. "Dammit, Susie! I can't help but to be upset," Bill said. "What kind of man raises his hand to his own child in anger?! I swear I'm going to punch Richard's lights out the next time I see him." Susannah stopped stirring the lemonade. She sighed as she put her arms around Bill's waist, giving him a squeeze. He squeezed her back. She looked up at him and smiled. She said, "You know that Richard is not going to change his ways. He is who he is. What we should focus on is making sure that Bobby knows that there are people who love him and that not everyone is like Richard."

Bill kissed Susannah's forehead as he gave her another squeeze. "I knew I married you for more than just your looks," he said teasingly. She laughed. "I'm so happy to know that," she said before putting a serious look on her face. "Bobby's company has bandages and bruises on both of her upper arms. I talked to Mrs. Haynes about it. She said that Miss Wells told her about that, too." Bill frowned. "This girl's being abused, too?" he asked. She shrugged. "They don't know. They're going to try to find out." He sighed heavily and said, "Good grief. I hope they do."

Susannah gave Bill a small smile. "I'm going to finish making the lemonade and put the food on the table. You go and introduce yourself to CeCe Harper, then tell the kids that dinner's ready." Bill smiled and nodded, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "Okay. I'm gonna clean up a little bit before I come down to dinner." "Okay." Bill and Susannah kissed each other one more time before he walked out of the kitchen and down to the basement.

* * *

CeCe turned her head when she heard footsteps coming down the basement stairs. She stood up and smiled nervously when Bill reached the bottom of the steps. _"Susie wasn't kidding about the dimples," _he thought to himself. He put a big smile on his face, extending his hand out to CeCe. "I'm Bill Lewis, Jedidiah's dad," he said. "You must be CeCe." She nodded as she shook his hand. "Yes, sir. N-nice to meet you," she said. Bobby had stopped hitting the punching bag when he heard Bill's voice. "Hey, Bobby," Bill said. "Hey."

"Dinner's almost ready," Bill said. He looked at Bobby and said, "You gonna put on a clean shirt before sitting down to eat?" Bobby nodded. "Okay. I'll see you 2 upstairs. I'm gonna round up the rest of the crew." He smiled, then headed back upstairs. Bobby wiped the sweat from his brow as he walked towards the stairs. CeCe fell in step beside him. "Lewis' parents seem to be nice," she said. He nodded. "They're really nice," he said.

Bobby paused at the bottom of the stairs, turning his body towards CeCe. He ran his fingers through his hair as he glanced at the ground. He looked at her and said, "I-I-I'm sorry if I'm acting kinda flaky. It's just that…I've got a lot of stuff going on that you wouldn't understand." CeCe shrugged. "It's okay," she said quietly. "You can tell me if you want to. I-I won't tell anybody." He gave her a small smile. "Thanks," he said. CeCe blushed as she smiled. "You're welcome."

"I'm gonna go change my shirt," Bobby said. He leaned down and quickly kissed the dimple on CeCe's cheek, then ran up the stairs, taking them 2 at a time. "Wow," she softly exclaimed as she touched her cheek.

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Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Harpers' Apartment Building  
Dinnertime

Veronica giggled when Derek kissed her behind the ear. "Where's my bra, Derek?" she asked as she slipped on her panties, then her jeans. "I don't know," he said. He turned around in the middle of his room. He spied the elusive bra laying on the floor underneath his desk. He picked it up and threw it at her. "Quit throwing stuff at me," Veronica said. Derek rolled his eyes while he put his clothes on. "Ain't nobody throwing stuff at you, Ronnie. Quit complaining."

There was a knock on Derek's bedroom door. A female voice said, "Derek, you and Ronnie need to hurry up and get out here. Y'all are so rude and nasty!" Veronica opened the door and found her friend Anna standing there. "How can you say anything when you've got a fresh hickey on your neck?" she said, pointing. Anna placed a hand over the hickey while Derek and Veronica walked out of the room passed her, smirking.

Sitting in the Harpers' living room was Tank Holt and his cousin Gilbert Hensley, who also played football for Hudson-Brooklyn, and 2 of Derek's friends/basketball team mates, James Williams and Nathan Ingles, Anna and Debbie. "Dang, you just couldn't wait until we were gone before you had sex?" Tank said as he stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth. "Shut up, Tank," Derek said playfully as he grabbed the bag of chips away from him and sat down on the floor next to Veronica. Anna went and snuggled up next to Tank on the couch. "You can't talk," Derek said. "Anna done let you mark up her neck." Anna poked out her bottom lip and said, "Shut up about my neck." Everybody laughed at her.

* * *

"Hey, Derek, where's your sister?" Nathan asked. "I thought you said she was going to be here." Derek shrugged. "She's probably at the library," he replied. "Oh brother! Don't tell me she's a egghead?!" Veronica said. "Yeah, CeCe's a square, but she's cool once you get to know her." "Only thing squares are good for are being sticks in the mud. No wonder she wants to hang out with Bobby and his friends." Derek shook his head. "I don't want her hanging out with Bobby because I know he's probably a racist like his daddy and a smooth talker like his brother," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked. "You remember that pizza place we went to last year after we won that game against Emory Prep?" Derek asked. Anna shook her head. "The one that Mr. Clayton, Coach Harkins, Miss Wells and Mrs. Haynes held a pizza party for the basketball and football teams for winning against Emory at both sports that night." Anna's face lit up with understanding. "Oh, you're talking about when Bobby's daddy and some woman came stumbling through the door drunk."

"Yeah, that night," Derek said. "Mrs. Haynes and Mr. Clayton were talking to me, Jake, Bobby, Jerry and Milton when Bobby's daddy walked over to where we was at. Mr. Clayton told him about how me and Milton were the top 2 scorers for the game. He made a face when he looked me, Jerry and Milton up and down. He made the same face when he looked at Mrs. Haynes and Mr. Clayton. He said, 'Only things that colored people are good for are taking out the trash and shining my shoes.'" "What did Bobby do?" Anna asked. "Nothing! He just got real quiet and walked off."

"Oh my God!" Veronica said. "Why didn't you tell me about that?" Derek shook his head. He said, "Mr. Clayton told us to ignore that fool. That he wasn't worth the energy to get angry over. It took Bobby a week to apologize to us." "A week!?" She scoffed. "I'm surprised you didn't beat Bobby's ass for that shit!" "I ain't forgot! He's okay and got some decent basketball moves. I'll speak to him, but I am damn sure not gonna hang out with him. I know I'm not gonna let CeCe hang out with him either."

"What about his brother?" Debbie asked. "You said Bobby is like his brother." "Shit, that's easy," Tank said. "Frank Goren got 2 girls pregnant his senior year. One of them got an abortion. I thought you knew." "I thought that that was just a rumor," Anna said. Tank shook his head. Derek said, "That's true. And I also know that Bobby went skinny dipping this summer with the Shea twins." Veronica narrowed her eyes at him. "HOW do you know?" she asked. He sighed heavily. "Because a friend of Jake's told him and he told me," he replied.

* * *

The telephone rang. "Be quiet," Derek said as he got up to answer it. "Hello," he said.

"Hey, Derek. It's Mama," Rosalie said.

"Hey, Ma. What's up?"

"Not much. Just checking to make sure you're at home."

"I'm here, watching TV."

"Hmmm. I see." A few seconds of silence passed before she said, "Derek, put Veronica on the phone."

Derek's mouth dropped open. "Uh, Veronica's not here," he said. Veronica looked at him with surprise.

"Derek," Rosalie said, "tell me that lie again and your punishment will be for 2 months. Put her on the phone. NOW." He slumped his shoulders, holding the phone out to his girlfriend. "My mama wants to talk to you."

* * *

Veronica got up and took the receiver from Derek. "Hi, Mrs. Harper," she said sweetly.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Hi, Veronica. I'm not sure if Derek told you or not, but he's grounded for a month. Part of the punishment is that he's not allowed to have company without me being there. So, you and the rest of his friends need to leave NOW before he gets into any more trouble. Please put Derek back on the phone." Rosalie smiled to herself. _"She must think I'm a bitch," _she thought to herself. _"Yes, little girl. I run Derek's life, not you."_

Veronica looked at the phone in disgust. _"Bitch!"_ She gave the receiver to Derek. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed dramatically. "We got to leave now before Derek's gets in trouble," she said. Everyone looked at her with puzzled looks.

"Mama, what you say to Veronica?" Derek asked.

"I told her that she and your friends need to leave before you get into more trouble," Rosalie said. "Tell them to leave."

Derek kicked the back of the couch. "Y'all gotta go," he said. "Damn, man. Your mama runs your life," Tank said teasingly as he followed the others out of the apartment. Veronica kissed Derek's cheek, then she walked out, closing the door behind her.

"They're gone, Ma," Derek said through clenched teeth.

"That's good for you because you just added an extra week to your punishment for disobeying me."

"Dang, Mama! That's unfair! If I'm getting punished, then CeCe needs to be punished, too! She's not here."

"As a matter of fact, I DO know where your sister is AND what time she's suppose to be home. I'll be calling to check on her. What you don't understand, son, is that I was a teenager, too. And I pulled some of the same stunts you're trying to pull. So, whatever you're thinking, I thought of it first."

Derek sighed, thinking about what his mother said. "Whatever, Mama."

Rosalie chuckled. "I gotta get back to work. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"Love you, too, Ma. Bye."

**

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Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Dinnertime

Susannah had already put the pitcher of lemonade and a bowl of ice on the table. She was placing the pot roast on the table by the time CeCe had come upstairs from the basement. "D-d-do you need any help, Mrs. Lewis?" she asked nervously as she wrung her hands together. Nana Rose's words went through her head again. _"Always offer to help, say 'yes, ma'am or no, ma'am' or 'yes, sir or no, sir,' say 'please' and 'thank you' and be on your best behavior when you're visiting someone's home. Heaven knows, I didn't raise my children to raise bad mannered children."_

Susannah smiled as she regarded CeCe, taking note of her nervousness. _"I bet she's probably not aware of what she's doing with her hands."_ "No, thank you, CeCe. I've got everything under control," she said. "Oh, okay." She walked over to CeCe, taking her hands into both of her hands. "Are you okay?" Susannah asked with a smile. CeCe looked down at her hands, then looked at Susannah. "Yes, ma'am. I'm fine. Sorry," she said quietly. Susannah shook her head. "You don't have to apologize. It's okay to be nervous around new people."

Cara walked into the dining room, stopping next to CeCe and Susannah. "Geez, Mom. Are you sending out the 'meanie' vibes already?" she said teasingly. She winked her eye at CeCe, who laughed. Susannah rolled her eyes. "For your information, Miss Smarty Pants, I was telling CeCe that it's okay to be nervous around new people." "Oh." CeCe laughed again at the exchange between mother and daughter. A faint look of sadness spread over Susannah's face as she looked at CeCe's injuries. She quickly smiled, trying to make sure neither girl saw the sad look.

"Mom, can we please eat now? I'm totally starving," Lewis said as he came into the dining room, Tricia and Mattie right on his heels. "Yes, Mrs. Lewis, we should eat now," Mattie said. "I'm about to pass out from hunger." "I agree with her," Cara said and walked to the table. Susannah laughed. She turned away from CeCe and headed towards the table.

CeCe hung back, unsure of where she should sit. Bobby and Bill came into the room seconds later. Bill smiled as he passed her. She smiled and blushed, looking at the ground when Bobby stopped next to her. A big grin broke out on his face. He gently tugged on one of her braids and said softly, "Come on. Sit next to me." "Okay," she said. She followed him to the table. Bill and Susannah both caught the flirty exchange between Bobby and CeCe. They looked at each other in surprise. Cara saw the look her parents were giving each other, wondering what was going on. "Ugh! I'm always missing something," she huffed as she sat down.


	9. A Good Night Indeed

**Author's Notes: Yep, I can hear the readers out there now saying, "OMG! She's actually updating a story!" LOL I'm sorry for keeping all of you waiting. But Real Life has a good way of getting in the way of story writing. Anyway, I know Bobby and Derek are suppose to be having their blow up in this chapter, but I have a scene or 2 to include before that, so I figured I stop here and put that in the next chapter. I promise that I won't keep you guys waiting forever any more. Maybe a month, but no longer than that. LOL Thank you as always to everyone to takes the time to read and/or review my stuff. I truly do appreciate it. Original characters belong to me; LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

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Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Dinnertime

Susannah hid her smile behind one hand while patting Cara's arm with the other hand. "It's okay, dear," she said. Cara huffed again. "Whatever," she mumbled. Bill half expected Bobby to pull the chair out for CeCe as she sat down between him and Cara. Lewis, Tricia and Mattie sat on the other side of the table. Lewis started to reach for a roll, but Bill smacked his hand. "Say grace, son," he said with a smile. "Ouch," Lewis said as he rubbed his hand. A few snickers could be heard around the table before everyone bowed their heads.

"Who wants to talk about their day first?" Bill asked as he looked at everyone around the table. "I think CeCe should go first since she's our guest," Susannah said. CeCe looked at her with some hesitation, but Susannah nodded, giving her a smile of encouragement. "Well, I-I had a pretty good day. I started working at Mr. Liu's bookstore today," CeCe said. "That's wonderful, CeCe," Susannah said. "Do you think you'll like working there?" CeCe nodded with a smile. "Yes, ma'am. I think I will."

Susannah turned her attention to her son. "So, Lewis, how was your day?" she asked. He shrugged. "It was okay. Nothing special." Bobby snorted. "I guess that date you made with DeLane Palmer for Saturday means nothing," he said. Lewis kicked him under the table. "Shut up." Bobby just chuckled to himself. Cara's eyes widen with surprise. "Jedidiah asked DeLane Palmer out for a date?! It's about time!" she exclaimed. Lewis shot his sister a mean look. "Shut up, Cara. It didn't take that long," he said. Cara scoffed. "It took you a year to ask her out," she said. Lewis rolled his eyes and sighed. "Geez, you're making a big deal out of it," he mumbled under his breath.

* * *

Bill and Susannah exchanged puzzled looks. "Who's DeLane Palmer?" Bill asked. "You remember her, Dad," Cara said. "She was the girl in the red bikini at the Covingtons' pool party last year. Jed and Dale Patterson almost knocked Mom and me into the pool trying to get to her." Susannah nodded her head in understanding. "Oh, I remember now. Jedidiah almost got grounded for almost making me spill my drink on my new sundress," she said teasingly. Lewis groaned. "Mom, can you go onto somebody else, please?" he whined before shoving some pot roast into his mouth. He kicked Bobby under the table again and whispered, "This is all your fault." Bobby didn't do anything but smile.

"Mattie, Tricia, anything special you'd like to report?" Susannah asked with a smile. Mattie pursed her lips in thought for a few seconds before she shook her head. "I've got nothing other than the newspaper staff had a meeting today." "What about you, Tricia?" "I just waited for Mattie to get out of her meeting," Tricia replied. "Miss Wells wants her to join the newspaper staff," Mattie said. "She thinks Tricia will make a good advice columnist." "I think you should do it," Cara said. "I've seen how some of the kids come to you and ask your opinion about stuff. You're pretty good." Tricia shrugged. "I told Miss Wells I'd think about it and let her know by Friday."

"What about you, Bobby? How was your day?" Susannah asked. Bobby shrugged and said, "It was okay." _"I kissed CeCe, but I'm not telling anybody that," _he thought to himself. "So, Mattie and Tricia, can I count on you being my clean up crew for this Saturday?" Bill asked. "Well, that depends on how much you're paying, Mr. Lewis," Tricia said. Mattie poked her in the side. "Don't be rude," she said through clenched teeth. "I'm not," Tricia hissed back. Bill laughed. He said, "It's okay, Mattie. For 4 hours of work, I'm paying $30 cash and tickets to the car show on Sunday." He reached into his shirt pocket, pulling out the tickets to show to the cousins.

Mattie and Tricia looked at each other, then at Bill and said in unison, "We're in." "Thank you," Bill said, laughing. "What are you going to do with the extra tickets?" Susannah asked. He shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it." "Can I have an extra ticket?" Bobby asked quickly. He thought, _"Maybe I can ask CeCe to go with me."_ "Sure." "Can I have another one, too, Dad?" Lewis asked. Bill nodded. Susannah clapped her hands. "Okay, kids. Finish eating so that you can do your homework," she said. The kids, Cara included, did as they were told.

* * *

"Are you going to ask DeLane to go with you to the car show?" Tricia asked Lewis. She and Lewis, along with Mattie, CeCe and Bobby had retreated upstairs to Lewis' room after dinner to do their homework. Cara was downstairs helping Susannah and Bill clean up before she left to go to her apartment. Lewis shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe. Maybe not. I haven't decided yet," he said as he went to sit on his bed, leaning against the headboard. "Of course, he's going to ask her," Mattie said. She was sitting in a chair at one end of Lewis' desk; Tricia was sitting on the opposite end. "Because if he doesn't, Jedidiah knows I'll talk about him for a month," she finished saying.

Lewis tore a couple of sheets of paper out of his notebook, crumpled each piece into a ball and threw them at Mattie, one after the other. "Hey! Cut that out!" she exclaimed as she ducked. "Quit calling me 'Jedidiah,'" Lewis grumbled. "That's your name. I can call you that if I want." She picked the 2 pieces of paper off the floor and threw them back at him. Tricia, CeCe and Bobby watched with amusement as Lewis and Mattie threw the 2 balls of paper back and forth at each other.

"Um, Lewis?" CeCe said. "What chapter are we suppose to be reading for Biology class?" She was sitting at the foot of the bed that Bobby was sleeping in, leaning against the wall next to the window. Bobby was also sitting on the bed Indian style, leaning against the headboard. "Chapter 2," Lewis replied as he caught both paper balls. "Oh, and make sure you study the word list for that chapter and chapter 3. Mr. Collins likes to give pop spelling quizzes before class ends." "Oh, okay. Thanks." CeCe pulled her biology book out of her satchel, opened it and started reading.

* * *

Lewis tossed the crumpled pieces of paper into the trash can. He stuck his tongue out at Mattie and said, "Turn around and do your homework, Matt. You're not gonna blame me for your falling GPA." Mattie stuck her tongue out at him before she turned around to open the history book that was laying on the desk. Bobby was very quiet, staring at the 10 words written in his spiral notebook which were: peace, nurse, Verona, name, rose, sweet, smell, blue, happy and song. _"How does Miss Wells expect us to write something using these words?" _he thought. He sighed heavily as he kept staring at the page. No ideas were popping into his head right away.

Bobby looked away from his notebook and began staring at CeCe, who was reading her biology book. He noticed that she moved her lips as she read. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him staring at her. She stopped reading to look at him, blushing as she flashed him a small dimpled smile. CeCe started reading again, playing with the exact braid he had tugged on earlier.

Bobby turned to an empty page in his notebook and scribbled something on it. He held it out to CeCe, waving it a couple of times at her. Without looking away from her book, she took the proffered notebook. She finished reading the last sentence in the biology book, then she turned her attention to Bobby's notebook. CeCe's eyes widen with surprise as she read what Bobby had written: _"I've kissed you 2 times already. When are you going to kiss me?"_ When she looked at him, he had a slight smirk on his face. She shrugged her shoulders and silently mouthed, "I don't know."

CeCe blushed as she handed Bobby's notebook back to him. She quickly turned her attention back to her biology book, playing with her braids. Bobby had a big grin on his face as he watched her blush. Suddenly, he had an idea about what to write for English class. He turned back to the page where his list of words were and began to write quickly before his inspiration got away from him.

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Outside of the Harpers' Apartment Building  
12 minutes before CeCe's curfew

"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Lewis," CeCe said before she got out of Bill's car. "You're welcome, CeCe. Anytime," he replied. Susannah and Bobby were standing on the sidewalk waiting for her to get out of the back seat. Lewis got out of the car after her. "Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Lewis," CeCe said. Susannah smiled, reached out and gave her a hug. She said, "You're welcome. You can come and have dinner with us any time you like."

CeCe smiled as she nodded her head. She waved at Lewis and Bobby and said, "I'll see you guys tomorrow." "See ya," the 2 friends said in unison. "Bobby, why don't you walk CeCe to her door?" Susannah said. "Make sure she gets there safely?" "Uh, okay. Sure," he said. CeCe glanced at him briefly before averting her eyes down to the ground. Bobby followed her as she headed towards her building. Lewis started to go with them, but his mom shook her head and pointed at the car. "Get into the car, sweetie," she said. He looked at Bobby and CeCe, then at Susannah. "Mom, are you trying to play matchmaker?" he asked as he slid into the backseat. She smiled as she sat down in the passenger's seat. "Never mind what I'm doing, Jedidiah William Lewis. Just hush."

* * *

Bobby and CeCe were quiet, lost in their own thoughts, as they walked up to the 3rd floor. CeCe stopped on the landing at the top of the stairs. She turned around to look at Bobby, pointing at her apartment door. "That's me," she said quietly. He turned his head to look at the number on the door before nodding. He had stopped on the stairs to where he and CeCe were standing eye to eye. She looked deep into his brown eyes for a few seconds before looking down at the ground, playing with the satchel strap that was slung around her neck.

Bobby just stood there staring at CeCe, unsure of whether or not he should try to kiss her again. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner," she said, her eyes still focused on the ground. "You're welcome," he said. "And for being nice to me," she softly added. A puzzled look crossed his face. "Why do you say that?" he asked, tilting his head to catch her eye. When CeCe finally looked up at Bobby, she raised her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Not too many people take the time to be nice to the weird new kid in school," she replied. He snorted. "You're not weird."

CeCe smiled at Bobby's kind words. He smiled as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall with his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?" she said. He nodded. "Why…why did you ask me if I was gonna kiss you?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. Just asking." "Oh" She looked at her watch. It read 8:55. "I better get inside before Mama calls," CeCe said softly. "Okay," Bobby said as he pushed himself away from the wall. She smiled and blushed as she turned and headed towards her apartment, taking her key out of her satchel.

"Hey, CeCe," Bobby said. She walked back to him. "You-you-you wanna hang out this weekend? Maybe go to the car show with me? That's why I got the extra ticket." She nodded and said, "Yeah. I'd like that." "Cool. I-I'll see you tomorrow." They looked at each other and smiled. CeCe leaned over and kissed Bobby on the forehead, right where his mole was. "Good night, Bobby," she said softly. With 2 quick steps, CeCe was gone, disappearing into her apartment. He just stood there, stunned. He put one hand on the rail and the other on the wall for support because his legs were starting to turn to jelly. Bobby stood there for a couple of minutes, smiling to himself and trying to regain his composure. The only word he could manage to say was "Wow."

* * *

"Where the hell you been?" Derek asked as CeCe entered the apartment. He was sitting on the couch, his long legs stretched out in front of him watching TV. A big bowl of popcorn was in his lap and a bottle of orange Crush was in his hand. "Out," was all she said as she removed her satchel, hung it on the coat rack and headed toward her room. "I know that, dummy! Who were you with AND where is what I want to know!" _"You ain't my daddy!" _is what CeCe thought as she pressed her lips together and stopped in her tracks. She sighed heavily, replying, "I went to work after school. Then I had dinner with Bobby at the Lewises."

Derek put the bowl of popcorn and soft drink bottle on the table. He got up and stood towering over his sister, pointing his finger in her face. "You stay away from him!" he shouted. CeCe took a small step back as she flinched, afraid he would grab her again. "Why? What's your problem with Bobby?" she asked. "My problem with Bobby is that he's like his brother, taking advantage of girls," Derek replied. "Did he touch you? Put his hands down your shirt or your pants?"

CeCe made a disgusted face. "No! Bobby didn't do any of that!" she exclaimed. "He's been very nice to me. He walked me to the door and left. That's it." Derek grunted. "He won't stay nice for long if you don't put out like the other girls at school. He'll act like his daddy and call you a colored monkey for sure." "Bobby's not like that! How can you say something that mean about your friend?" "He ain't my friend," Derek replied. "I'm only nice to him because we're teammates. That's it."

* * *

"Bobby's a very nice person," CeCe said softly. "You shouldn't judge him because of his daddy and brother." "I can judge him because I've known him longer than you have. He'll turn out to be just like them," Derek said. She sighed heavily again as he turned around to go sit on the couch. "And you wonder why Lulu was mad at you, Jarvis and Donny all last summer and didn't speak to any of you," CeCe muttered. "What's that suppose to mean?!" Derek snapped as he whipped his head around to look at her.

"Nana Rose told y'all to stay out of Lulu's business with her boyfriend. 'Don't be meddling with Lulu and Herbert' is what she said exactly," CeCe explained. You see Herbert at the skating rink with another girl, so you go get Jarvis and Donny to help you drag him out into the parking lot and beat him up because you THINK he's cheating on Lulu. Come to find out that that other girl was his cousin visiting from Houston and Lulu was going to join them later." Derek raised a dismissive hand as he headed towards the couch. "Whatever. That don't mean nothing. I know I'm right about Bobby."

The telephone started to ring and CeCe walked towards it, shaking her head. "Bobby will probably kick your ass if you mess with him," she said to herself as she picked up the receiver.

"Hello," CeCe said.

"Hey, Pumpkin. It's Mama," Rosalie said.

"Hi, Mama. How's your shift going?"

"It's going well. I just wanted to make sure you were at home. Did you have a good time?"

"I had a great time, Mama. Mrs. Lewis made pot roast for dinner."

"That's nice. Did you get your homework done?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good, good," Rosalie said. "Where's your brother?"

CeCe looked at Derek. "He's sitting on the couch, eating popcorn and watching TV," she replied. He just rolled his eyes.

"Okay. I gotta make the rounds. I love you. Bye."

"Love you, too, Mama. Bye."

CeCe hung up the receiver. She opened her mouth to say something to Derek, but decided she'd keep her thoughts about Bobby to herself. Instead, she headed to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Bedtime

"Bobby!" Susannah called from downstairs. He appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed in a t-shirt and pajama bottoms with a spiral notebook in his hand. "Yeah?" he said. She held the telephone receiver out towards him and said, "It's Doreen. She wants to talk to you." She placed the receiver on the table and headed into the kitchen as he walked down the steps.

"Hey, Doreen."

"Hey, sweetie," Doreen said. "How are you?"

"I'm alright I guess," Bobby replied with a shrug. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's good. Frances is okay. I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to sleep at home tonight, but I'll be back at the hospital in the morning."

"Oh, ok. Do…do I need to go spend the night with her?" Bobby asked. Susannah had just come out of the kitchen and stopped in front of him. She looked at him and shook her head vigorously. On the phone, Doreen said firmly, "No, you do not."

"That's what I'm being told here, too," he said with a sigh. Susannah gave him a small smirk of victory as she patted his arm and headed upstairs.

"Frances will be okay by herself tonight. If anything happens, I'll let you know. Deal?"

"Deal."

"By the way, I liked your friend CeCe. She's cute."

Bobby groaned. "Oh, brother."

"Oh, quit being so dramatic," Doreen said with a laugh. "You should bring her by the pizza shop sometime."

He groaned heavily again. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

She laughed again. "Bobby, you're killing me. Anyway, I'll let you go to bed. Good night, sweetheart. I love you."

"Good night, Doreen. I…I love you, too."

Bobby hung up the receiver and stood there for a couple of minutes, thinking about what Doreen had said about bringing CeCe to the pizza shop she and her husband Cal owned._ "God, if Frankie shows up when I'm with CeCe, he'll do something stupid to embarrass me. He always does,"_ he thought. He shook himself a little to clear his thoughts. He looked down at the notebook in his hand. He turned it over to look at the telephone number that was written on the back. He took a deep breath, picked up the receiver and dialed the number.

* * *

CeCe had turned out the kitchen light and was heading to her bedroom with a glass of water in her hand when the telephone rang. She walked towards it, placing the glass on the table before picking up the receiver.

"Hello," CeCe said.

"H-h-hey, CeCe," Bobby said quietly.

A big smile spread across her lips. "Hi, Bobby. You okay?"

"I-I-I'm okay."

A few seconds of silence passed when CeCe asked, "Bobby, are you sure you're okay? Did you need something?"

"Um, no. I'm fine. Sorry. I-I-I just wanted to say good night." _"Dammit, Bobby, get a grip! You've talked to her before,"_ he thought to himself.

A soft chuckle escaped from CeCe's mouth. "Well, thank you. Good night to you, too."

"Bye, CeCe. See ya tomorrow."

"Bye, Bobby."

CeCe hung up the receiver with a big smile on her face. She bounced on her toes as she picked up her glass of water and headed to her room. _"Derek's got to be wrong about Bobby. I hope," _she thought.

* * *

"Who was on the phone?" Lewis asked when Bobby came back into the bedroom they were sharing. "Oh, uh. That-that was Doreen," he replied. "She wanted to tell me that she was going home instead of staying with Mom tonight." "Oh." Lewis was sitting on his bed watching Bobby look at the back of his spiral notebook and smile before laying it down on top of his other books.

"What's up with you, man?" Lewis said. "Huh?" Bobby asked, looking confused. He pulled back the covers and got into the bed. "You're looking at the back of your notebook and smiling like some kind of idiot. What's up?" Bobby shook his head and replied, "There's nothing up. Go to bed, man."

"Aww, come on, Bobby!" Lewis said as he put his feet on the floor and pointed at the notebook. "What's on the back of that notebook? Did Hutch draw another picture of a naked girl on there? Come on, dude! You gotta share!" Bobby raised himself up on his elbows and laughed. "There's no naked girl picture on my notebook. Now, go to bed, Jedidiah."

Lewis huffed loudly as he stood and flipped the light switch off. "Some kind of best friend you are," he grumbled. "Won't even share pictures of naked girls. Geez." Bobby just chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Good night, Lewis," he said. "Pfft. Whatever, man. Good night." Lewis laid down in his bed, reaching over to turn off the beside lamp.

* * *

10 minutes had passed and neither Bobby nor Lewis were asleep. Bobby let out a heavy sigh and blurted aloud, "I kissed CeCe." "I knew it! I knew it!" Lewis exclaimed as he turned on the lamp and sat up in the bed. "You had that same silly smile on your face when you came back to the car." Bobby sat up in his bed, shaking his head. "No I kissed her when we were here in the basement together." Lewis' mouth dropped open. "Wow! You work fast," he said. "So, how was it? Did you slip her some tongue?"

"God, Lewis!" Bobby said. "That's not of your business!" Lewis let out a playful cackle and said, "You did! Oh, my God! You dirty dog!" "Whatever. I'm going to sleep." Bobby laid down, pulling the covers over his head. "Dammit, Bobby. You can't leave me hanging like this. I need to know details!" "No, you don't. Go to sleep, Lewis." "Come on. Tell me what happened and I'll shut up."

Bobby raised his head a little to look over the edge of the covers at Lewis and said, "Go to bed. I'm not telling you anything." Lewis threw up his arms in frustration as he turned off the lamp and laid down. "You're no fun, Bobby," he said. "Good night, Lewis," was his response. He snuggled further down underneath the covers and sighed. A smile crossed Bobby's lips as he finally drifted off to sleep with thoughts of CeCe on his mind.


	10. Decisions, Decisions

**Author's Notes: The readers are gasping loudly, "OMG! She's actually posting something!" LOL Yes, I'm finally back. YAY! I want to thank all of you for your patience. I hope some of you are still interested in this story. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my dad, James Edward Newton, who passed away on January 2, 2010 and to you, the readers/reviewers. Also, I have to thank everyone who reads and/or reviews my stuff. I'm always grateful for the support. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a little while. Any and all mistakes belong to me. Read and enjoy! :o)**

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Bedtime

"Whatcha writing there, Susie Q?" Bill asked his wife as he entered their bedroom. He was carrying a copy of _Popular Mechanics_ in his hand. Susannah was sitting on the foot of the bed, writing on a small notepad with a pencil. "Oh, I'm just writing a grocery list," she replied. "Do you want spaghetti or chicken for dinner tomorrow night?" He shrugged his shoulders before kissing her on the forehead. "Doesn't matter to me. I have no preference," he said. She chuckled. "Figures."

Bill got into the bed, leaned against the headboard and opened his magazine. "Who was that on the phone for Bobby?" he asked. "Doreen," Susannah replied. "She wanted to let him know that she was going to sleep at home tonight." "Oh, okay." She stopped writing to turn around to look at him. He could feel his wife's eyes on him, so Bill looked up from his magazine. "What?" he said. "Doreen told me that she was going to talk to Cal about having Frances and Bobby come to live with them,"

Bill's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Wow. Really? Why?" he asked. Susannah sighed as she stood up and went to her side of the bed. She got in and leaned against the headboard. She said, "Doreen thinks that when Bobby decides to go away for college, Frances won't handle it well. She wants to be there for her when that day comes. And other days like the one she had on Monday." A thoughtful look crossed Bill's face. "That makes sense, I guess. But I suspect Bobby will probably want to stay nearby to take care of his mother." Susannah nodded. "That's what Doreen is afraid of: Bobby putting his life on hold to take care of Frances."

"Well, what do you want to do?" Bill asked, putting his arm around his wife's shoulders and giving her squeeze. "If Cal decides to go along with Doreen's idea, then I say we support them and their decision," she replied with a smile. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "That sounds like a good plan," he said before returning to read his magazine. Susannah smiled to herself as she continued writing out the grocery list.

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, September 7, 1977  
Home of Cal and Doreen Reed  
Bedtime

"Look at the picture I drew today, Mommy," 5 year old Cheryl Reed said. Doreen smiled as she sat down on the edge of her daughter's bed. She took the piece of paper out of her hand and looked at it. "This is a very lovely picture of the sky, trees and birds. I love it," she said. "Thank you, Mommy. You can have it." Doreen leaned over and kissed Cheryl on the forehead. "Thank you, sweetie. I think I'll hang it in the shop."

Cheryl sat up and said, "Mommy, Trey said that cousin Frances is sick in the head and that I'll get sick like her if I'm near her. Is that true?" Doreen mentally groaned as she put a reassuring smile on her lips. She grasped Cheryl's shoulders very lightly and shook her head, guiding the little girl to lay back down. "No, sweetie. That's not true. Trey is just trying to make a joke." _"And it's not a very funny one,"_ she thought. "Cousin Frances is sick? Right, Mommy?" "Yes, she's sick. And I have to help take care of her." "Why?" "Because Bobby can't do it by himself. He has to go to school, just like you and Trey." "Oh." Doreen lightly chuckled as she kissed Cheryl's forehead again. "Good night, Cheryl. I love you," Doreen said as she stood up. She flipped on the switch for the night light, then turned off the bedside lamp. "Good night, Mommy. I love you."

Doreen walked out of Cheryl's bedroom, pulling the door closed behind her. Cal was standing in the hallway waiting for her, his arms folded across his chest and a slight lopsided grin on his lips. She looked at him and smiled as she let out a heavy sigh. "You handled that well," he said. She pointed to a small patch of gray hair on her left temple and said, "You see this? This comes from repeatedly telling a teenage boy to stop telling his 5 year old sister things she doesn't need to know about." Cal chuckled as he unfolded his arms and wrapped them around Doreen's small frame. "Glad it's him and not me," he said teasingly. "Hmmph," was all she said as she pulled away from her husband and headed towards Trey's room. Cal followed behind her.

Doreen knocked lightly on 16 year old Trey's bedroom door before opening it. He was sitting up in the bed, reading the latest edition of a Superman comic book. Without looking away from the comic, he said, "I've got 4 pages left, Ma. I'll go to bed after that." Doreen stood in the middle of the floor with her arms folded, her weight shifted to one side as she tapped her foot. Cal leaned against the doorframe, looking back and forth between Trey and Doreen. "Trey, your mother has something to say to you," he said. "I think you need to give her your undivided attention." Trey let out a dramatically long and loud sigh as he laid his comic aside to look at Doreen.

"How many times have I told you not to tell Cheryl any wild stories about Frances?" Doreen said. Trey made a face and said, "I'm not making up any stories about Cousin Frances! I'm telling Cheryl the truth. It's not my fault she's a complete fruitcake!" He picked up his comic to start reading, but Doreen snatched it out of his hands. "Don't cop an attitude with your mother, son," Cal said, "or your backside will regret it." "Calvin Martin Reed the Third! How dare you say such a thing about Frances!" Doreen said. "Ma, she's crazy! Our whole family knows that. Cheryl needs to know, too." "For your information, young man, Frances is schizophrenic, not crazy. You should not be telling your sister that she'll get sick in the head by getting near her."

Trey huffed as he rolled his eyes. He folded his arms across his chest and looked at the wall. "Whatever," he muttered under his breath. Doreen sat down on the edge of the bed. "Trey, look at me," she said. He turned his head to look at his mother. "It's bad enough that some people, including our family, treat Frances like a leper because she's a schizophrenic. I don't want Cheryl thinking being around her is a bad thing or to be afraid of her. I want her to grow up knowing that Frances is just like you and me, only difference is that she's got an illness that can't be cured. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Trey sighed heavily. "Yeah, I guess," he replied. Doreen smiled, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She stood up, holding the comic book out to him and said, "Promise me you won't tell Cheryl she'll end up like Frances by being around her or any other wild stories." "Yeah, okay," he said flatly. He reached for the comic, but Doreen held it back out of his grasp because she wasn't convinced by his answer. "Promise me, Trey." He sighed heavily again. "Ma, I promise. Geez." She grunted as she gave him the comic. "If you don't keep your promise, I'm going to confiscate your whole comic book collection and those 3 Playboy magazines Frank gave you for 2 months. Do I make myself clear?" Trey's mouth dropped open as he nodded.

"Good night, sweetie," Doreen said, a small smile of triumph crossing her lips as she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. "How in the world do you know Frank gave Trey some girlie magazines?" Cal asked when he and Doreen reached their bedroom. "Oh, I saw Frank give them to him at the restaurant," she replied. "He didn't realize that I could see the front cover." She sat down on the foot of the bed and pulled off her shoes. Cal sat down beside her. He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "I always knew nothing could get past your keen eyesight."

Doreen looked at Cal and smiled. "I want to ask you something," she said. "Ok, sure," he replied as he removed his arm from her shoulders. "I want you to do some serious thinking before you give me an answer," she said, taking one of his hands into both of hers. "This sounds serious, Dorie. What's up?" Doreen took a deep breath, exhaled and asked, "What do you think about Frances and Bobby staying here with us?" A puzzled look crossed Cal's face. "For how long?" he asked. "I was thinking permanently," was the reply.

Cal blew out a deep breath as he stood up. "Permanently?" he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's a tall order, babe." "I know there's a lot to think about," Doreen said. "I've been thinking about it ever since Frances went into the hospital. It would be a major change for us. Especially for Cheryl." He grunted lightly. "Cheryl's adjustment will be the least of our worries." "Yeah, I know Trey will express his displeasure in his own subtle way. But I don't want what happened Monday to happen again. Between the police, paramedics and Mrs. Neely freaking out, I'm surprised Frances didn't have a more serious breakdown than she did."

Doreen sniffed softly, wiping a small tear off of her cheek. "Don't cry, Dorie," Cal said quietly. He sat down again, putting both of his arms around her. After a couple of minutes of silence, she pulled back a little to look up at him. "Promise me you'll at least think about it," she said. He nodded. "I will. When is Frances suppose to be released from the hospital?" "Maybe sometime this weekend. Dr. Archer has her on some new medication. He wants to see how she reacts to it before releasing her."

Cal pursed his lips. "How about we think about it and make a decision on Friday?" he asked. "Okay," Doreen replied. He kissed her on the forehead. She sighed heavily as she laid her head on his shoulder. _"I hope Frances accepts our help," _she thought to herself.

**

* * *

**

Thursday, September 8, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Breakfast Time

"Lewis! Bobby!" Susannah shouted from the bottom of the stairs. "Get it in gear, guys! Breakfast is ready!" She let out an exasperated sigh when she didn't get an answer from either one of the teenage boys. When the doorbell rang, she reluctantly walked over to answer the door. "Good morning, you two," Susannah said to Mattie and Tricia after she opened the door and stepped aside. "Good morning, Mrs. Lewis," the girls said in unison as they walked passed her into the house. "Breakfast is on the table. Make sure to take the toast out of the toaster and put it on the table, too," Susannah said. "Okay," Mattie replied. She and Tricia placed their books on a hallway table before heading into the dining room.

Susannah walked back to the bottom of the stairs. "Jedidiah Lewis! Robert Goren!" she exclaimed loudly. "If you're not down here by the time I count to five, I'm coming up there to drag you out of the bed! One. Two." Before she could get to three, Lewis and Bobby came bounding down the stairs noisily, school books in hand. "Morning, Mom," Lewis said. He quickly kissed Susannah on the cheek, then threw his books on the table next to Mattie and Tricia's books, making a beeline for the dining room. Bobby followed right behind him, doing exactly as Lewis did. Susannah chuckled to herself as she shook her head.

Bill came down the stairs a few seconds later, zipping up his dark blue coveralls. "Good morning, sweetheart," he said. "Good morning," Susannah replied. She reached up and kissed Bill on the lips. "What's so funny?" he asked. She just laughed and shook her head. "Nothing. You better hurry up and go get some breakfast. There are 4 hungry teenagers sitting at the dining room table." "Ah. Say no more." He walked towards the dining room while she headed into the kitchen.

When Bill walked into the dining room, he found all four teenagers stuffing their faces with pancakes, eggs and toast. "Good morning, everybody," he said as he reached for the pitcher of orange juice and a glass. He got nods and grunts in reply He poured some juice into the glass, then placed the pitcher back on the table before sitting down. Susannah came out of the kitchen with a plate of fresh pancakes and a cup of coffee, handing them to Bill. "Thank you," he said. Susannah just smiled as she sat down.

"Dad, today's Thursday," Lewis said after he finished swallowing a mouthful of food. Bill pursed his lips slightly. "Really? I hadn't noticed. Pass the eggs and syrup, please, Tricia," he said as if he hadn't heard Lewis. Susannah hid a smile behind her raised coffee cup while Lewis exchanged a worried look with Mattie, Tricia and Bobby. "Um, Dad. You know Thursday is a special day." "Really? What makes it so special?" Bill asked nonchalantly as he poured syrup over his pancakes. Lewis let out a heavy dramatic sigh. "Dad!" he said desperately.

Bill let out a hearty laugh. He reached over and patted Lewis' arm, saying, "Good grief, son. I know what today is. You've got to learn to take a joke." Thursdays and Fridays were special to Lewis because those were the days his dad would let him drive a metallic blue 2 door 1977 Dodge Charger SE to school. Bill had received the brand new car as a gift last October from a very grateful customer who loved a restoration job he had done. Driving the car to school was Lewis' reward for working at the shop and keeping up his grades.

Bill reached into the breast pocket of his coveralls, pulling out a single key on a keychain that hung from his index finger. He held out the key to Lewis, who eagerly tried to snatch it away from him. Bill quickly withdrew his hand, making a fist around the keychain. "What are the rules?" he asked. "Ugh! Come on, Dad! I know what the rules are," Lewis groaned. "What are the rules, Jed?" Lewis remained quiet as he looked at his plate.

"Do I need to remind you, Jedidiah, driving that car is a privilege you've earned, not a right," Bill said sternly. "Now you have a choice. Either you adjust your attitude and recite the rules or you can just forget about driving at all this week." Mattie opened her mouth to say something to Lewis, but Tricia pinched the back of her hand. Lewis squirmed a little in his chair before he said, "I can drive from home to school and to the shop. Only Bobby, Tricia and Mattie are allowed to ride in the car and can be taken somewhere else besides home and school. I'm the only person allowed to drive the car." A smile of satisfaction spread across Bill's face as he handed the key to his humbled son. "Thank you," he said.

"Can an exception be made to one of the rules?" Bobby asked. Lewis frowned at him. "Are you nuts?!" he said. "Settle down, son," Bill said. "Let's hear what he has to say." He looked expectantly at Bobby. "What exception do you want to make?" "C-c-can CeCe ride with us?" Susannah and Bill exchanged looks while all 4 teenagers held their collective breath. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's fine with me." "Okay. CeCe can ride in the car, too." All the teenagers let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," Bobby said. "You're welcome," Bill replied. "Hurry up and finish eating before you all are late for school."


	11. The Showdown

**Author's Notes: *GASP* Another chapter! LOL Yep. You're getting 2 chapters this time because both of the chapters combined is over 5K words. I decided to break them up. As always I owe much thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing and putting me and/or my stories on their alert lists. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company. I'm just using them in my imagination for a little bit. Any and all mistakes belong to me. Read and enjoy. :o)**

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Thursday, September 8, 1977  
Harpers' Apartment Building  
Breakfast time

Rosalie sighed contently to herself as she walked up the 3 flights of stairs to her apartment. _"Another night with no major problems, thank goodness," _she thought. When she reached the top of the landing on her floor, she inhaled deeply and smiled. The smell of eggs and bacon wafted through the air. "Good morning, Rosie," a female voice said as it passed by her. She glanced over her shoulder and replied, "Good morning, Etta Mae." "Don't forget that we're playing bid whist at Yolanda and Darryl's place this Saturday." "I won't. See you there."

Rosalie unlocked her apartment door and stepped inside. She found CeCe standing at the stove, wearing one of her old housecoats, scrambling eggs. Derek was seated at the table, already eating. "Morning, Mama," he said with his mouth full. "Derek, swallow your food before you speak, baby," Rosalie said with a frown. "Good morning, Mama," CeCe said softly. "Morning, Pumpkin." She sat down at the empty plate on the table. "You have a good shift, Ma?" Derek asked. She nodded. "It was pretty good. No major problems." He grunted. "I don't understand why you like working with crazy people anyway." She just looked at him. "I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer," she said.

CeCe walked over to the table with the frying pan in her hand, scrapping the eggs onto the plate in front of her mother, who asked, "Did you eat?" CeCe nodded her head. She walked over to the sink to put the pan in it. She was about to turn on the water when Rosalie said, "I'll wash the dishes later. You come over here and get something else to eat before Derek eats everything in sight." CeCe chuckled. She sat down next to her mother, grabbing some toast and bacon, placing them on a napkin.

There was a knock on the door. Derek got up to answer it, but Rosalie snapped her fingers, pointing at his chair. "Sit down and eat. I'll get it," she said, standing up. She opened the door and found Veronica, Debbie and Anna standing there. Veronica frowned when she saw Rosalie, but she quickly pasted a fake smile on her lips. "Good morning, Mrs. Harper," she said in a fake sweet tone. "Good morning, Veronica," Rosalie replied with the same fake sweetness in her voice. "Come on in," she said as she stepped aside.

CeCe looked at the three girls as they entered the apartment. Veronica sneered at her, while Anna and Debbie gave her looks of disdain. Derek saw the dirty looks Veronica and her friends were giving his sister. He laughed softly to himself because he thought it was funny. Rosalie saw the dirty looks, too. She opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind. _"I'll deal with Miss Hot Pants later," _she thought. "Mama, I'm going to finish getting ready for school," CeCe said softly. She stood up with her breakfast in hand and walked towards her room. Veronica and Debbie snickered when Anna muttered under her breath, "Damn. She must have got that ugly thing and the rest of her clothes from Goodwill."

* * *

Tears welled up in CeCe's eyes at Anna's hurtful words, but she was not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. "CeCe, hurry up and get dressed so we can leave," Derek said. "I'm gonna catch the bus," she said as she walked into her room and shut the door. "Why you catching the bus when you can ride with me?! Quit being stupid!" "Derek, finish eating and leave your sister alone!" Rosalie said sharply as she closed the door. "Y'all can sit down on the couch," she said to Veronica, Anna and Debbie. They went to the couch while Rosalie went to sit at the table and began to eat.

CeCe was sitting on the edge of her bed, eating her breakfast and wiping away her tears. "God, this day sucks already," she said to herself. "What else is gonna happen?" She finished eating her breakfast, then let out a long and heavy sigh. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she got up and started to get dressed for school.

"Derek, you might want to eat a little faster," Rosalie said, "or you'll be late for school." "I'm hurrying, Ma. I'm hurrying," Derek replied. She had taken about 5 bites of her eggs when there was another knock at the door. She blew out a breath as she got up. "You want me to get that, Mrs. Harper?" Veronica asked. 'No, thank you, Veronica. I got it." She opened the door, surprised to see Bobby standing on her doorstep.

"G-g-good morning, Nurse Harper…I-I-I mean Mrs. Harper," Bobby said. "Good morning, Bobby," Rosalie replied with a smile. "Um, we came by to give CeCe a ride to school." "We? You and your friend Lewis?" He nodded. "Yes, ma'am. H-h-has she left yet?" Rosalie shook her head. "No, she's getting ready now. Come on in." Bobby walked through the door and stood to the side to allow her to close the door. "Hey, Bean," Derek said. "Hey." "Hi, Bobby," Veronica, Anna and Debbie said in unison. He smiled and waved at them.

Rosalie rolled her eyes as she walked towards CeCe's door. _"I've had enough of the Miss Goody Two Shoes act from all three of them," _she thought to herself as she knocked and said, "CeCe, you've got company." "Okay, Mama. I'll be out in a minute," she replied. Rosalie walked back to the table. "Bobby, would you like to have something to eat?" she asked. "No, thank you. I ate already." Out of the corner of his eye, Bobby noticed Anna and Debbie looking him up and down with smiles on their faces. The unwanted attention made him feel self conscious and fidgety.

"What are you looking at?" Veronica whispered. "You think Bobby got a big thing?" Debbie asked. Veronica's eyes widen in surprise. She leaned forward slightly to look at his private area. "Maybe. He looks a little bigger than Derek." "He looks bigger than Tank," Anna said. "You think he'll let me see it?" "You want to have sex with him?" Debbie asked. Anna nodded her head. "All the girls are crazy about Bobby. I want to know if his thing is the reason why." _"Oh God!" _Bobby thought to himself as he overheard the girls' hushed conversation about the size of his private parts. He reached up and massaged the back of his neck. He could feel his ears turn red. He wanted to be anywhere but in that apartment at the moment.

Bobby's prayers were answered when CeCe's bedroom door opened. She came out wearing a loose fitting light blue tunic with ¾ sleeves that had daisies embroidered on the end of the sleeves and dark denim jeans; her satchel slung across her neck. A big smile spread all over her face when she saw Bobby. He smiled too as she walked towards him. "Hey, Bobby! What are you doing here?" CeCe said. He replied, "Lewis got the car today. You wanna ride with us?" Before she could open her mouth, Derek said, "CeCe's riding with me."

CeCe pressed her lips together as she looked down at the ground and moved her satchel strap up and down. Derek walked up behind her, staring at Bobby over her head. His jaw twitched as he made a fist. Bobby stared back at him, his eyes narrowed and hands balled up into fists. Veronica and her friends, along with Rosalie, watched with fascination as the boys looked ready to fight over CeCe.

CeCe looked at her mother, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She said, "Mama, I'm gonna ride with Bobby. Okay?" Rosalie nodded, replying, "Okay." Derek turned his head to look at her. "Mama!" he said in protest. She pointed at the bathroom door and said, "Go brush your teeth, then get ready to leave for school." He let out a huffy breath as he walked away mumbling. CeCe put her hand in the middle of Bobby's chest. He immediately relaxed, looking down at her. "Let's go," she said softly. He nodded as he turned to open the door. "See ya later, Mama," CeCe said. "Bye, sweetie," Rosalie replied. "See ya, Mrs. Harper," Bobby said. "Bye, Bobby."

When they reached the first floor, Bobby grabbed CeCe's arm, pulling her to the side. "Why were you crying?" he asked. She shook her head. "I wasn't crying," she answered. He cocked his head to the side as he folded his arms across his chest. Then he lightly tapped the tip of her nose with his index finger. "Your nose is red," he said. CeCe held her head down, shaking it. "You wouldn't understand," she said. "Try me." She looked up at him with a small smile. "Maybe I'll tell you later."

Bobby just looked at her. He shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Whatever." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "You look very pretty today." He walked off and went to hold the door open for her. CeCe was shocked. All she could do was remain silent and blush as she walked out of her building.

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Thursday, September 8, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Lunchtime

"What's wrong with you?" Veronica asked Derek. They were leaning against the wall near his locker. He was quiet, a foul expression on his face. She turned her whole body towards him, her hands on her hips. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" she snapped. "Ain't nothing wrong with me!" he snapped back. "Don't cop a attitude with me, Derek Harper! I'm not the one who told your sister she could ride with Bobby Goren." He made a face at her. "Shut up, Ronnie!" "Don't tell me to shut up! I don't see what difference it makes anyway. If CeCe wants to hang out with Bobby, then let her." "I told you I'm not gonna let her hang out with him."

Veronica threw her hands up in frustration. "You know what? You're stupid and getting on my nerves! I'll see you later." Derek watched her as she stormed off in the direction of the school entrance. He rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Damn! You and Ronnie fighting again?" Tank said as he walked up the hall. He took Veronica's place on the wall beside Derek. He chuckled. "She's being stupid today." "Oh."

Derek's mood improved as he looked at Tank out of the corner of his eye. "You want to meet CeCe?" he asked. Tank shrugged and said, "Yeah, I guess." Derek clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's go to her locker." He smiled to himself while him and Tank walked down the hall. _"Hmm. CeCe will forget all about Bobby once Tank starts hanging out with her," _he thought.

CeCe had just closed her locker door. She was about to head to the cafeteria when she heard Derek call her name. She sighed as she turned around to see him and some guy walking towards her. "That's your sister?" Tank asked. "Yep," Derek replied. "Man! She's fine and cute!" When they reached CeCe, Tank invaded her personal space right away. "I'm Thomas, but everybody calls me Tank," he said, looking her up and down lasciviously.

Derek grabbed his shoulder, pulling him away from CeCe a little bit. "Easy, Tank. That's my sister." Tank worked his shoulder out of his grasp. "Relax, man. I'm introducing myself," he said. CeCe took a tiny step back. Tank's invasion of her space and the looks he had been giving her made her feel very uncomfortable. "CeCe, this is Tank. He plays football," Derek said. "Hi, Tank. I'm CeCe," she said. Tank invaded her space again. This time he put his hand on her hip, sliding it upwards under her tunic.

CeCe stepped back to avoid Tank's wandering hand. Derek smacked his shoulder. "Cool it, man," he said. Tank laughed. He said, "I'm being my natural charming friendly self." "I know you are, but you gotta tone it down for a minute." CeCe was starting to feel scared; not knowing whether Tank would try to touch her again and if Derek would do anything to protect her.

Tank invaded CeCe's space yet again. He put his hand on her hip, squeezing as he held onto her. "How about you and me have lunch together?" he asked. "I-I've got lunch plans already," CeCe said quietly, turning her body to loosen his grip on her. He put both of his hands up and shrugged. "So? Break them. Me and you need to get to know each other." "What's up, Derek? What's up, Tank?" Bobby said as he walked up to the group. He put himself between Tank and CeCe. "Not much, Bean," Tank replied. "Just trying to get CeCe to have lunch with me." "Oh. Well, me and CeCe are gonna rehearse our Romeo and Juliet lines during lunch." Derek sneered at Bobby, who ignored the look. "That's cool," Tank said. "I'll get with her another time." _"Shit!" _Derek thought as he saw the opportunity for keeping Bobby and CeCe apart dissolve.

Bobby turned to CeCe and said, "Let's go." She nodded, quickly turning on her heel to walk beside him. As they got closer to the lunchroom, she said, "Thank you." Bobby gave her a lopsided smile. "You're welcome."

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Thursday, September 8, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Boys' Locker Room

Derek was still in a foul mood after practice was over. Taking a shower didn't help either. He was still mad. He was mad at Rosalie for letting CeCe ride with Bobby instead of him. He was mad at Veronica for not taking his side in keeping Bobby away from CeCe. He was mad at CeCe for choosing Bobby over him. He was especially mad at Bobby for going after CeCe. Looking across the locker room and seeing Bobby made Derek's blood boil.

"_Smug jackass!" _Derek thought. He shut his locker door with a bang, then walked across the room. Bobby had barely finished pulling his t-shirt over his head when Derek came up behind him, giving him a hard shove. The other players in the surrounding area quickly scattered out of the way. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" Bobby said as he spun around to face Derek.

Derek gave Bobby another hard shove. He walked up to him, jabbing his finger in his face. "You stay away from CeCe," he said in a low menacing voice. "I haven't done anything to CeCe!" Another shove. "I'm giving you the opportunity to stop yourself before you hurt her!" Bobby closed the distance between him and Derek with one step. He jabbed him in the shoulder and said, "Hurt her?! I think somebody better look at themselves before they accuse me of anything!"

Derek shoved Bobby again, knocking him into the lockers. "I'm telling you right now, Bean! If you touch my sister again, I'll kill you!" he said forcefully. Bobby's mouth dropped open slightly. "I haven't touched CeCe. I haven't done anything to her!" "Yes, you have! I know you have! You're just like your brother! Have sex with a girl, then leave her alone and pregnant!" Bobby jabbed his finger in Derek's face this time. "I haven't done anything to CeCe! I'm not like Frankie! I'm nothing like that!"

Derek gave Bobby another shove. Bobby planted his feet firmly on the ground and balled up his fists. "I suggest you keep your hands to yourself," he said slowly. Derek laughed. He said, "you know what? Fuck you!" before swinging his fist.


	12. Misunderstood

**Author's Notes: Yes, dear readers. You're getting two chapters for the price of one again. What can I say? I don't know when to stop writing. LOL Anyway, as always I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read and/or review my stuff. I am very grateful. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to 2 very nice ladies, judyg and flashymom. I really appreciate their support (They even got a character named after them). Here's the disclaimer: LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

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****Thursday, September 8, 1977  
Hudson-Brooklyn High School  
Boys' Locker Room**

Derek's fist connected with Bobby's face, hitting him in the nose, which started to bleed profusely. He reached up to wipe the blood away. He stared at the blood on his hand for a few seconds, then he looked at Derek. A dark scowl covered his entire face. Bobby narrowed his eyes and said, "My turn." Without any warning, as quick as lightning, Bobby swung his fist, hitting Derek in the eye.

Derek barely had chance to recover before Bobby gave him a couple of hard blows to the body. Derek butted his head into his opponent's stomach, grabbing him by the waist and shoving him in the lockers. A sharp pain ran through Bobby's head as it hit a locker handle. Before too long, he and Derek were exchanging heated punches.

"Break it up, you two!" Coach Harkins yelled as he ran into the locker room. He tried to pry the two teenagers apart by himself, but to no avail. Every time he got between them, they'd knock him out of the way. "Russ! Get over here and help me!" he said.

Russ was Russell Nash, the assistant basketball coach. He rushed over to where Coach Harkins and the 2 combatants were. Despite his 5 foot 8 inch tall stature, Coach Nash managed to pull Bobby away from Derek, holding on with all of his might to the flailing teen.

Coach Harkins grabbed Derek by the shoulders, pushing him into and holding him against the lockers. Derek kept on struggling anyway, determined to get another swing at Bobby. "STOP THIS FIGHTING NOW!" Coach Harkins said in a very loud booming voice. Everyone within the sound of his voice stopped moving instantly. It was so quiet in that locker room that the squeak coming from someone's sneakers sounded like a cannonball being fired. Coach Harkins pointed to a bench and said, "Harper! Sit there!" Derek did as he was told, keeping his eyes on Bobby with a mean glare. "Goren! Sit there!" the coach said, pointing at the other bench. Coach Nash let Bobby go. He sat down opposite of Derek, giving him the same mean glare. They sat there facing each other in stony silence.

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Coach Harkins took a deep breath, exhaling noisily. He stood there between the boys, looking back and forth at each of them. Both of them were breathing heavily and had bloody noses, cuts and scrapes on their faces, hands and lips and bruises from where a punch had landed. The cut on Bobby's cheek had re-opened. Derek's eye was starting to swell. The coach took a deep breath, then exhaled. He said, "Which one of you started it?"

Bobby and Derek went from looking at each other to looking at the floor, avoiding Coach Harkins' angry stare. "Apparently, neither one of you heard me," Coach said. "I asked who started it?" He folded his arms across his chest, looking back and forth between them again. "Derek, did you start the fight?" he asked. Derek didn't say anything. He kept looking at the floor. Coach Harkins let out an exasperated breath before turning his attention to Bobby. "Bobby, did you start the fight?" Bobby remained silent as well, preferring to look at his shoes than look Coach Harkins in the eye. "Come on, guys," Coach Nash said. "Speak up and tell us the truth."

After a couple of minutes of silence, Coach Harkins sighed heavily. "I'm tired of this bullshit," he mumbled under his breath. Without turning around, he said, "Thompson! Front and center! Now!" Jake Thompson, the team's co-captain, walked up and stood next to Coach Harkins. "Yeah, Coach?" he asked. "Who started the fight between Goren and Harper?" Jake didn't answer right away. Instead, he shuffled his feet and looked at the floor. Coach Harkins rolled his eyes and sighed. "I haven't got all day, Thompson! Who threw the first punch: Goren or Harper?"

Finally, after a few more seconds of silence, Jake replied, "Derek threw the first punch." "Thank you. Go back to where you were standing," Coach Harkins said. Jake glanced at his teammates briefly before going back to the group. "Well, now that I know WHO started the fight, somebody want to tell me WHAT you were fighting about?" Derek and Bobby looked at each other, trying to see which one of them would break their silence first. Bobby looked away first, casting his gaze towards the lockers.

"Last chance, fellas," Coach Harkins said. "What were you fighting about?" His question was answered with complete silence. "Fine. If you're not going to talk to me, then maybe you'll talk to Principal Clayton." Coach Harkins grabbed Derek firmly by the arm, pulling him up off of the bench. "Russ, grab Goren. We're taking them to the nurse's station, then to Mr. Clayton's office." Coach Harkins dragged Derek towards the locker room exit. Coach Nash grabbed Bobby's arm tightly and pulled him off of his bench as well. Bobby winced slightly in pain as he let himself be dragged away to the principal's office.

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**Thursday, September 8, 1977**  
**Hudson-Brooklyn High School**  
**Principal Clayton's Office**  
**After school**

"So, what do you gentlemen have to say for yourselves?" Principal Clayton asked. He was standing behind Derek and Bobby, who were both sitting down in front of the principal's wooden desk. They cast sideways glances at each other, but neither one of them opened their mouth to answer the question. Derek was holding an ice pack against his eye. Mr. Clayton sighed as he walked around them to take a seat himself. He placed his elbows on the desk top, interlacing his fingers together into a steeple. He contemplated each boy individually as he looked at them.

Patrick Clayton was 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 300 pounds. He had a barrel chest, warm medium brown skin, nicely trimmed goatee and a small afro. His appearance alone used to intimidate people when they first met him. But as they got to know him, they realized that he was a kind hearted and gentle person by nature. He had been principal at Hudson-Brooklyn for the past seven years. He made it a point to know everyone personally, students and teachers alike, who walked through the halls of that school. He made sure that he knew the first names of all of his teachers and that they knew they could call him by his first name. He made it his business to at least know everything he could about his students from their home life to what kind of grades they were making to who was dating who.

Principal Clayton looked at Derek first. He knew that Derek was the basketball team's co-captain, made decent grades and was dating Veronica Stewart. He also knew that Derek was being raised by his widowed mother who was a nurse. Then Mr. Clayton looked at Bobby. He knew that Bobby was super smart, intensely private because of his home life, was well liked by everyone in the school and had a temper that could become explosive when unleashed.

When Mr. Clayton looked at both of the teenage boys together, he couldn't understand what in the world they would be fighting about. He un-steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair. "Who threw the first punch?" Neither teenager said a word. "Harper there swung first," Coach Harkins said, pointing at Derek. He was standing next to the door, leaning against the wall. "Is that true, Derek?" Mr. Clayton asked. "Yes, sir." "Why did you hit Bobby?" Derek's response was to look at the floor. "Bobby, you want to tell me why you and Derek were fighting?" Bobby looked the principal in the eye for a few seconds before shifting his gaze to look out of the window over Mr. Clayton's shoulder.

* * *

Coach Harkins snorted and said, "It's obvious why they were fighting. With a father like Goren's, he was bound to act and talk like him someday." One corner of Derek's mouth twitched faintly upward into a smile while Bobby turned around in his chair to look at the coach. "Coach, I didn't say anything to Derek!" he said loudly. 'Then why in the world were the 2 of you fighting, huh?!" he countered back even louder. Bobby turned back around in his chair. He folded his arms across his chest and slouched down in the chair. "It's none of your business," he mumbled angrily.

Mr. Clayton shook his index finger at Coach Harkins. "Coach, cool your heels and calm down," he said, sighing and shaking his head. _"There are times I wish he would think before he opens his mouth,"_ he thought. He said aloud, "Whatever started the fight, I'm sure that it's NOT because of some derogatory remarks." Coach Harkins just grunted. "Hmmph! We'll see about that." Mr. Clayton sighed inwardly. He decided he'd deal with the coach's negative attitude in private later. _"He's got to stop assuming the worst about the students."_

Principal Clayton looked at Bobby and said, "Unfortunately, Bobby, this fight between you and Derek is our business. One of you is going to have to tell us what the problem is so that we can help resolve it." Bobby and Derek looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Bobby rolled his eyes and stared out the window; Derek did the same thing.

Mr. Clayton threw up his hands. "Fine. If neither one of you wants to talk to me and Coach Harkins, perhaps you'll talk in front of your parents." He pushed a button on his telephone and said, "Judy, could you come in here for a minute please?" "On my way, Mr. Clayton," a female voice replied. A big smile covered Coach Harkins' face when the door opened and in walked Judy Williams, Mr. Clayton's secretary. The pretty medium sized brunette with hazel eyes flashed him a brief smile before turning her attention to the principal. "You need something, Mr. Clayton?" she asked.

Mr. Clayton raised his index finger. "This is your final opportunity, gentlemen," he said to Derek and Bobby. "You want to tell me what the fight was about?" Derek squirmed in his seat more than Bobby did. _"I don't give damn if they call Mama. I'll make them all see what a mean and hateful person Bobby is," _Derek thought to himself. When he didn't get an answer out of either boy, Mr. Clayton said to Judy, "Would please call their parents and have them come in tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.?" She nodded her head. "Yes, sir." Judy turned around and walked out of the office, flashing Coach Harkins another smile as she closed the door.

"Can I have your attention for a few more minutes, Coach Harkins?" Mr. Clayton said with a teasing undertone in his voice. Coach Harkins' face turned beet red as he caught a brief glimpse of the principal's small knowing smile. _"Damn! Didn't think he'd see that."_ Mr. Clayton's smile disappeared as he focused his attention on Bobby and Derek. "Right now, both of you have earned one day of after school detention for refusing to tell Coach Harkins and me why you were fighting. After we talk to you and your parents tomorrow, I'll decide how many more days of detention you'll get."

* * *

"I'd like to add on to that punishment, if you don't mind, Mr. Clayton," Coach Harkins said as he walked around to stand next to the principal. He leaned against the wall next to the window. He said, "I'm suspending you from practice for 2 weeks." Derek was the first to react in protest. "Two weeks?! Coach, that's not fair!" Coach Harkins pointed his finger at Derek. "When you joined the team, do you remember what I said about my rule of unsportsmanlike conduct?" he asked sternly. "Yes, sir, I do. But come on, Coach. There's scouts coming to see me in practice."

Coach Harkins said, "I don't care if scouts are coming to see you, Harper! You and Goren both broke my rule by fighting. In my book, that's unsportsmanlike conduct. Just because you're team co-captain and going to college on a basketball scholarship doesn't exempt you from following the rules like everyone else on the team. Hell, Harper! You're supposed to be setting a good example for the fellas coming up behind you!" Derek threw himself back into his chair. He put the ice pack back against his eye and sulked.

Coach Harkins regarded Bobby and asked, "You got anything to say, Goren?" Bobby looked at him with an apparent ticked off look in his eyes. He was mad about Coach's statement comparing him to his father. He silently shook his head, then looked away. The coach was going to say something about Bobby's attitude, but thought better of it. He decided to let him slide this time.

A soft, but firm knock was heard coming from the door. "Come in," said Mr. Clayton. Judy walked in with a steno pad in one hand; a pencil in the other. "I spoke with Mrs. Harper. She said she'll be here," she said as she stood behind the boys' chairs. "I spoke with Mr. Goren. He said he'll have to come since Mrs. Goren can't make it." Bobby jumped up out of his chair, spinning around to look at her. A look mixed with fear and disgust covered his face. "You talked to my dad?!" he asked in disbelief. Miss Williams nodded her head. "Yes, I did." "Oh my God," he muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair and walked towards the other side of the room. He paced back and forth furiously, talking softly to himself.

Derek had a smug smile on his lips. _"Bobby's scared of his daddy! Getting in trouble was worth seeing this!"_ Mr. Clayton and Coach Harkins were very surprised to say the least. They looked at each other, then at Judy and asked at the same time, "You talked to Richard Goren?" She nodded her head again, puzzled by their reaction. Mr. Clayton opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. He could tell by Bobby's reaction that Frances must be in a mental ward again. He was trying to figure out the best way of acknowledging that fact without letting any of the others know Bobby's closely guarded secret.

Mr. Clayton asked, "Mr. Goren said he was definitely coming tomorrow?" "Yes, he did," Judy replied. "He said that Mrs. Goren was out of town visiting relatives." "I see. Well, Bobby usually stays with Jedidiah Lewis and his family when his mother is out of town. Would you please call them to let them know they need to be here tomorrow?" Miss Williams was even more confused. "I don't understand. Mr. Goren is listed as Bobby's legal guardian in the records." A soft smile spread over Mr. Clayton's lips. "I know that, but I'd like to have them here, too, so they can all agree upon what type of punishment to implement at home," he said. She shrugged her shoulders slightly and said, "Okay," before walking out.

* * *

Bobby stopped pacing to look at Mr. Clayton. When the principal turned his head to look back at him, Bobby's mouth quickly twitched into a brief smile. Then he turned his head away in shame. Mr. Clayton felt pity for him. He thought, _"Such a heavy burden for a young person to have on his shoulders."_ He cleared his throat before speaking. "Derek, Bobby, you can go home now. I'll see you and your parents here in my office tomorrow at 10 a.m." Derek got up and headed to the door. He rolled his eyes and grunted as he gave Bobby a disgusted look over his shoulder. _"I can't wait to see your dad rip you apart." _Bobby waited a few seconds before he exited out of the principal's office. He could feel his anger towards Derek beginning to come back. He wanted to give him a chance to get down the hall and out of the building before the opportunity to pummel him into the ground presented itself. He closed the door behind him.

Coach Harkins shook his head as he watched the boys leave. He let out a heavy sigh and said, "Unbelievable." He pushed himself off the wall, getting ready to leave. "I'm going to see if Russ needs any help putting the equipment away," he said. "Then I'm going home. You need me in here tomorrow?" Mr. Clayton shook his head. "I'll fill you in afterwards," he replied. "Alright. Good night, Patrick." "Good night, Karl."

Just as Coach's hand touched the doorknob, Mr. Clayton said, "You're wrong, you know." He turned around. "I'm wrong about what?" "About Bobby. And about him provoking Derek." Coach Harkins chuckled. "I'm going to have to disagree with you on that, Patrick. I know I'm right." Mr. Clayton leaned back in his chair. "Really? Why?" he asked. Coach Harkins exhaled as he walked back and sat down. "Richard Goren and I have known each other since we were little kids. There are 2 things about him I'm very certain about: his temper and his disdain of others who are different from him. I've seen him verbally and physically crush anyone who he thinks is beneath him."

"But you're assuming that Bobby is hateful towards others like his father," Mr. Clayton said. "He's nothing like that. If anything, he's the exact opposite." Coach Harkins shook his head. He said, "If Richard gave him anything, he gave him that fiery temper. With that temper comes the mindset to think of and speak out loud the most cruel, vile and hurtful words imaginable. Sure, Bobby gets along with anyone regardless of what they look like or their skin color. But if he's provoked, he's got the potential to be like Richard. It was just a matter of time before something happened."

Mr. Clayton said, "I still say you're wrong about him. I don't think Bobby said something to Derek. I think there may be another reason they were fighting." "No disrespect to you, Patrick, but I think you're wrong," Coach Harkins said. "How about we agree to disagree?" Mr. Clayton asked with a smile. The coach stood up, returning the smile. "Agreed. I'll see you in the morning. Good night." "Good night, " the principal said to Coach Harkins' retreating back.

Mr. Clayton sat there, staring at the closed door for a couple of minutes. He shook his head and sighed as he picked up a stack of papers out of his inbox. He picked up a pen, thinking to himself, _"When will people learn not to judge a book by its cover or teenage boys by their father?"_

**

* * *

****Thursday, September 8, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
****Early evening/Dinnertime**

Susannah Lewis was standing in the kitchen, poking holes with a fork in the crusts of some chicken pot pies. "Hey, Mom," Lewis said as he came in from the garage. By the time she turned her head to say hi, her son was a blue blur whizzing by her and heading upstairs. "Hey, Susie," Bill said. "Hey," she replied. He kissed her on the cheek, then leaned against kitchen sink. "Where's Bobby?" he asked. "Upstairs," she replied as she resumed poking holes. "He's locked himself in Cara's room." "What does he have to say for himself?" Susannah shook her head and said, "All he's done is come into the house, said hi and went straight upstairs. By the time I could get up there, he was already in Cara's room. I want to talk to him in person, not through a door."

Bill sighed heavily. "I know. I'll get my toolbox and take the door down," he said, pushing himself away from the sink. Susannah grabbed his arm to stop him. "Bill, you don't have to do that," she said. "Leave him alone for now. We'll get him out of there without resorting to taking doors off the hinges." He took up his position against the sink again. He watched his wife as he silently counted the pot pies. There were 12 pies altogether; 6 each on 2 flat sheet pans. "Um, Susie, you expecting a lot of company?" "No, I'm not. Doreen and Calvin are coming over to discuss what we're going to do about punishing Bobby. Mr. Graham is coming over to check up on Bobby. And your son will eat whatever is leftover by himself."

"Wait a minute," Bill said. "Back up for a second. Did you just say that the social worker is coming here?" "Yes," Susannah answered. "Did you call and tell him what happened at the school?" "No, I didn't!" she snapped. "He was coming here anyway." "Easy, Susie Q. Sorry." She inhaled deeply, holding her breath for 10 seconds before exhaling. "There's something else I need to tell you that I didn't want to say over the phone," she said quietly. "What?" he asked warily. "Richard is coming to the school tomorrow."

Bill frowned slightly. "Richard who? Richard Goren?" "Yes, Richard Goren, Bobby's father," Susannah said. Bill's mouth dropped open. "Why in the world is he coming to the school?!" "Miss Williams, the school secretary, called Bobby's home. Richard answered the phone. He told her that Frances was out of town visiting relatives, so he'd come instead." Bill threw up his arms. "Richard has never shown an interest in anything that Bobby does! Why the sudden change now?!"

* * *

Susannah shrugged and said, "It could be because of Miss Williams' voice. He heard it and decided that he should meet her in person. You know how he is." "Richard's coming to the school to fulfill some sexual need of his?!" Bill exclaimed. "He needs to be more concerned about his son than chasing some piece of tail!" Susannah glared at him. "I'm sorry, Susie. I know that's a bad choice of words, but it's the truth! God! Richard's presence at the school will cause more chaos and trouble than help to solve the situation!"

Susannah laid the fork down, then wrapped her arms around Bill's waist. She squeezed him as tightly as she could. He wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug. She looked up at him and said, "You're cute when you're being indignant. But you've got to calm down." "I am calm," Bill said. "I'm just ticked off at Richard for his ulterior motives. Doesn't this bother you at all?" "Yes, sweetheart, it does bother me. But you're so worked up over this for the both of us, I think I should be the one with the cool head." He relaxed his body a little bit. "Am I making too big a deal out of this?" he asked. She smiled and shook her head, saying. "You're doing exactly what any concerned parent would do about their child."

Susannah got up on her tiptoes and kissed Bill's lips. "Now, I want you to go upstairs and get changed before our guests arrive," she said. "Yes, ma'am," Bill said. He let go of her and headed upstairs. When he reached the top, he saw Lewis had changed out of his coveralls into a t-shirt, jeans and socks. He was standing outside of Cara's room, knocking on and talking to the closed door. "Come on, Bobby. Let me in, man." Bill walked up and stood next to his son. "Any response?" he asked. Lewis shook his head. "He opened the door a little bit the first time I knocked. He said he was fine and then he closed the door before I could get my foot in there."

Bill took Lewis by the shoulders, turning him around and guiding him to his bedroom. He said, "Go do your homework. Your mom and I will deal with Bobby later." "But, Dad!" Lewis groaned in protest. " 'But, Dad' nothing, Jedidiah. Do your homework." Lewis groaned some more as he walked into his room and closed the door. Bill walked towards his own bedroom, pausing briefly in front of Cara's room. He started to knock on the door, but didn't. Instead, he shook his head and continued on to his room, wondering what in the world was going on with Bobby.


	13. Don't Give Up on Me

**Author's Notes: Please see the notes from the previous chapter. :o)**

**Thursday, September 8, 1977  
****Harpers' Apartment Building  
****Early evening/Dinnertime**

CeCe opened the door to her apartment and found her mother sitting at the kitchen table. Sitting across from her was a short, plump Hispanic woman with jet black hair pulled into a bun, wearing a flowered dress. She was holding and patting one of Rosalie's hands in both of hers, saying some words of encouragement. "Hi, Mama," CeCe said. "Hey, baby," Rosalie replied. She pointed to the woman and said, "You remember Mrs. Fuentes, don't you? She lived in the same apartment building we did up in Syracuse before we moved into the house. She's living a few blocks from here and working at the hospital with me now."

Mrs. Fuentes stood up so CeCe could get a good look at her. CeCe's face lit up with a smile as she remembered her former neighbor and sometime babysitter. "Hola, Senora Fuentes," she said hesitantly as she realized that her Spanish was rusty from not speaking it in a long time. "Hola, CeCe!" Mrs. Fuentes said with a hint of a Cuban accent. She walked towards her with her arms wide open. She gave CeCe a big hug before stepping back to look at her. "Oh my!" she said. "You've grown into such a beautiful young woman. And you still have those cute dimples."

CeCe ducked her head as she blushed. "Thank you," she replied quietly. Mrs. Fuentes gave her another big hug. "It's good to have you home. Your mami has missed you a lot." CeCe teared up a little as she looked at Rosalie, who smiled and gave her a wink. "Well, I need to head on home. Eduardo is probably pacing the floor because he hasn't seen me since Wednesday," Mrs. Fuentes said. She hugged CeCe one more time. "It's good to see you again, Cecelia." "Thanks. Same here, Senora Fuentes," CeCe replied.

Rosalie came around the table and hugged Mrs. Fuentes. "Carmen, thanks for taking my shift and for the food. I'll bring your pan back to you next week," she said. "Pfft. Don't worry about it. Eduardo says I cook enough to feed an army anyway. I'll talk to you later." Rosalie held the door open for Mrs. Fuentes. She turned around and waved to both occupants, then headed down the steps.

* * *

"You're not going to work tonight, Mama?" CeCe asked as she pulled her satchel strap over her head. "No, I'm not, Pumpkin," Rosalie replied. She closed and locked the door. "I'm meeting with your principal at 10 o'clock tomorrow. Your brother got into a fight with your friend Bobby." CeCe's eyes widen with surprise. "Derek and Bobby got to fighting? Why?" she asked. Rosalie let out a quiet sigh and answered, "I don't know. Neither one of them would say. So, Mr. Clayton figures they'll talk in front of the parents." CeCe stood there speechless and deep in thought._ "Were they fighting about me?" _

Rosalie noticed the intense look of concern and fear on CeCe's face. "You okay, CeCe?" she asked. Her head snapped up at the sound of her mother's voice. "Yes, ma'am," she murmured. Rosalie gave a her a leery look. She wasn't totally convinced by the answer she received, but she decided that for the time being it would have to do. She had another fish named Derek Isaiah Harper to deal with. "Mama, is Derek in his room?" CeCe asked. "Yeah." "Can I go talk to him?" Rosalie chuckled. "Sure you can. Maybe he'll talk to you. I'm going to heat up this arroz con pollo." With that, she walked towards to the kitchen area.

CeCe went into her room and tossed her satchel on the bed. Then she headed to Derek's room. She knocked softly on the door and said, "Derek, it's CeCe. Can I come in?" She heard the door being unlocked. She cautiously turned the knob before entering the room. "Lock it," Derek said as he flopped down on his bed. She locked the door, then turned around to look at her brother. She let out a loud gasp when she saw Derek's face.

"Oh my God," CeCe softly muttered as she walked over to Derek. Tears formed in her eyes as she placed her hands on either side of his face. "Are you okay?" she asked, taking in all of the cuts, bruises and swelling. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. He swatted her hands away from his face, then slid across the bed to put his back against the wall. CeCe sat down next to him, one foot tucked underneath her. "Why were y'all fighting?" she asked. Derek made a face. "Why do you THINK we were fighting?" he sneered.

* * *

"You still think Bobby did something to me?" CeCe asked. "Derek, I told you the truth! He didn't put his hands down my shirt or my pants. He's been nice to me. That's it." Derek jumped up off the bed. He shook his finger in her face and said in a low voice, "You know what your problem is, CeCe? You don't tell anybody that something bad is happening to you until it's too late. You remember after we buried Daddy you started having headaches and real bad nightmares? I asked you what was wrong, but you wouldn't tell me. It took Mama finding you sleepwalking in the middle of the street about to get run over by a truck to tell the truth!"

CeCe stood up, tears running down her cheeks. "You're still mad because I didn't say anything about the headaches and nightmares? I was littler then. I didn't know what to tell you! But that has nothing to do with you fighting Bobby about something he hasn't done to me. I'm telling you he hasn't touched me." Derek scoffed, turning his back on his sister. CeCe walked around to face Derek. "Mama's gonna ground you for at least another month just for fighting. You gotta stop being hardheaded. Bobby is not the person you think he is. He's not some scary monster," she said.

"I'm not being hardheaded. I'm proving my point about him," Derek said. "Bobby is a bigot like his daddy and a lover boy like his brother. Tomorrow, he'll get what's coming to him." "What does that mean?" CeCe asked. A small smile crept across Derek's lips as he went to sit down on his bed. He leaned against the headboard, his hands folded behind his head. "Bobby's daddy is coming to the school tomorrow. You could see the fear in his eyes." "What's his daddy gonna do to him?" He shrugged. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it'll be worth seeing."

CeCe stood in the middle of the floor, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're wrong about Bobby, Derek," she said softly. "He's a nice person. He hasn't done anything to me." "You've known this fool for only 3 days and already you think he's a nice guy," Derek said. "You need to open your eyes and stop being stupid. And tell the truth." "I AM telling the truth." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I know you, CeCe. You're not telling the truth because you're scared."

"_If you knew me, then you'd know I'm telling the truth," _CeCe thought to herself. She looked at the ground. "Derek, you're wrong. You're causing trouble for Bobby for nothing," she said. "I'm not causing trouble. I'm trying to protect you," he countered. _"If you're trying to protect me, then you'll keep Tank away from me."_ She let out a long soft sigh, resigning herself to the fact that her brother was hardheaded and stubborn just like their father had been.

CeCe turned on her heel without saying a word. She unlocked the door, opened it and went to her room. She sat down on her bed, looking up at the sky through her window. _"Oh, God! There's going to be a lot of trouble tomorrow and it'll be all my fault! I don't want to be here anymore,"_ she thought as she wiped away her tears.

**

* * *

****Thursday, September 8, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
****Early evening/Dinnertime**

Bill had just come down the stairs when someone rang the doorbell. Susannah appeared at the kitchen door. "I'll get it, Susie," he said. He opened the door and found Doreen and Cal standing on the doorstep. "Evening, Doreen. Evening, Cal," Bill said. "Come on in." Doreen gave him a quick hug while Cal shook his hand as they stepped inside. Doreen and Susannah hugged each other. "Cal, it's good to you," Susannah said as she hugged him. "Same here, Susie," he said. "Where's Bobby?" Doreen asked. She laid her purse down on the table. "He's locked himself upstairs in Cara's room," Bill replied.

Doreen started to climb the stairs, but Susannah gently grabbed her arm and guided her towards the living room. "I need to tell you and Cal something first," she said. She pointed at the couch. "Have a seat." Doreen and Cal sat down. Bill sat down in the Queen Anne chair opposite of them while Susannah remained standing. "What's wrong?" Cal asked. "Well, there's 2 things I need to tell you," Susannah said. Cal and Doreen looked at her expectantly. "The first thing is that Mr. Graham is on his way over here to check up on Bobby." "Okay. That's not so bad. We can tell him what's happened and how we plan on dealing with it," Doreen said. "That depends on this other thing I'm about to tell you." "Which is?"

Susannah took a deep breath, released it and said, "The school secretary called and talked to Richard. He said he's coming to the school tomorrow." "I'm confused," Cal said. "Why would she call Richard?" "The school only has Frances' number on file in their records," Susannah said. "It seems what Bobby said about Margie kicking Richard out is true. He must be staying at their apartment." Cal pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. I can understand that. What I'm not understanding is why in the hell is Richard going to that school tomorrow?!"

"You obviously have not seen the secretary," Doreen said. Cal looked puzzled for a minute. "Oh," he said as he realized what she was hinting at. " 'Oh' is right, dear." She looked at Susannah, asking, "Has Bobby said why he got into the fight?" "I didn't even get a chance to see his injuries before he went upstairs, let alone talk to him." Doreen massaged her temple as she muttered, "Good grief." Cal reached over and rubbed her back. "It'll be alright, Dorie. We'll get through this."

* * *

Bill got up when he heard the doorbell. As he was walking towards the door, he glanced up and saw Lewis standing at the top of the stairs. "Go to your room, Jedidiah," he said. He paused for a moment, listening for his son's bedroom door to close before he opened the door. "Can I help you?" Bill asked the man who was standing on his doorstep. "Hi. I'm Thomas Graham," the man replied. He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a business card, handing it to Bill. "I'm from Social Services. I'm Robert Goren's case worker."

Bill extended his hand and said, "I'm Bill Lewis. Come on in." Mr. Graham shook his hand before going inside. He waited while Bill shut the door, then followed him into the living room. Bill made the introductions."Mr. Graham, you remember my wife Susannah and Bobby's cousin, Doreen Reed. This is her husband, Cal." Mr. Graham nodded at the women. Cal stood up to shake his hand. "Have a seat, Mr. Graham," Susannah said, pointing to the chair Bill had recently vacated. She sat down on the couch next to Doreen, Bill sat in a chair next to her.

"I must apologize for coming at such a late hour, but I've been in and out of court and meetings all day," Mr. Graham said as he placed his briefcase on the floor. "Not a problem. We understand," Susannah said. "So, where's Robert?" he asked. "He's upstairs." "Oh. May I go up and talk to him first before I talk to all of you?" "Actually, Mr. Graham, we need to talk to you before you talk to Bobby." Mr. Graham gave Susannah a leery look. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

Susannah looked at Bill, Doreen and Cal. They all nodded their heads, making her the group spokesperson. She pressed her lips together, sighing heavily. "Bobby got into a fight with another student, one of his basketball teammates, at school today," she said. "I see," Mr. Graham said coolly. "Has Robert explained why he was fighting?" Susannah shook her head. "He and the other boy have refused to say anything. Mr. Clayton, the principal, wants to meet with them and parents tomorrow to find out the reason."

Mr. Graham said, "You do realize that Robert's parents or legal guardians need to be at that meeting tomorrow?" "Yes, we're aware of that, Mr. Graham," Susannah said. "My husband and I are going to the school tomorrow." He shook his head. "You can't go. You and your husband nor the Reeds are his legal guardians. Either Mr. or Mrs. Goren need to be there. I'm only allowing him to stay here to give Mr. Goren time to get sober. " "Well, of course, Richard is going to be there, but…" "Then that settles it," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "Let Mr. Goren handle the situation."

* * *

"It's not that simple, Mr. Graham," Susannah said. As she opened her mouth, someone rang the doorbell. "I got it!" Lewis said loudly. Susannah and Bill exchanged looks. "Excuse me, please," she said as she stood and walked out of the room. As she exited the living room, Lewis was quickly running down the stairs, beating her to the door. Susannah watched as he threw open the door, pulling Mattie and Tricia inside. "The social worker's here," he said to the girls. She continued watching as he hustled them towards the stairs as fast as he could without pushing either girl down.

Lewis, Tricia and Mattie were halfway up the stairs when they stopped and gasped. Susannah looked up and gasped as well. Standing at the top was a very quiet and battle scarred Bobby. He looked at all of them, then lowered his head. He was ashamed to let them see him in this condition. Susannah recovered first. She stood at the bottom of the stairs and said softly, "Hey, stranger."

Bobby raised his eyes to meet hers. "We love you," Susannah said. He didn't say anything. He looked at the ground as he walked down and sat on the 3rd step from the top. Susannah smiled at the other kids, then headed back to the living room. Mattie finished climbing the stairs first. She sat down behind Bobby, crying as she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his. Lewis and Tricia followed behind her. He sat next to Mattie while Tricia sat down in front of him and leaned back. She shed a few tears herself as she squeezed her cousin's arm in an attempt to comfort her.

Bobby patted Mattie's hand. "Stop crying, Matt. It'll be okay," he said quietly. But he knew telling her to stop crying was like telling Niagara Falls to stop flowing. "The social worker is going to take you away from us," she said. "You don't know that." "A social worker being around usually ain't good news, Bobby," Tricia said. He gave her a sideways glance. "Both of you are crying for nothing. If Mr. Graham is going to place me somewhere else, then I'll deal with it." "But you belong here with Lewis and his parents, not some strangers," Mattie said. Bobby just sighed and shook his head.

"Why were you and Derek fighting anyway?" Tricia asked. "Derek thinks I-I did something to hurt CeCe," Bobby replied. "Did you?" "God, Tricia! I swear you make me want to scream sometimes. No, I didn't." "I was just asking. Geez." "Will you two stop it and focus on what's happening!" Lewis said in a sharp hushed tone. "Mr. Graham's going to make Bobby stay with his dad and you guys are fighting over stupid stuff! Shut up, be quiet and listen!" Tricia and Bobby felt thoroughly chastised by their friend's words. They looked at each other, both of them saying "sorry" at the same time.

Bobby, Lewis, Mattie and Tricia sat quietly on the stairs, listening to the adults decide Bobby's future.

* * *

"Who was at the door, Susie?" Bill asked. "That was the troops rallying around their comrade," Susannah replied. "Troops?" Mr. Graham asked. "Bobby's friends," she explained. "Ah. Of course. Anyway, I was explaining to everyone that Mr. Goren has every right as Robert's parent and legal guardian to make decisions regarding his son's well being. That includes attending this meeting with the principal tomorrow morning." "But, Mr. Graham, you don't understand," Bill said. "Richard has never shown any real interest in Bobby's life or well being. It's either been Frances or us or the Reeds who deal with him or any problems he has." "Mr. Lewis, I'm sorry, but the law is on Mr. Goren's side. What you've told me about barring him from the meeting is wrong and inexcusable. You cannot do that."

Doreen jumped up from her seat. "Damn the law, Mr. Graham!" she said in frustration. Cal tried to grab her arm to pull her back down, but she jerked away from him. "Doreen, settle down," he said firmly. She glared at her husband. "Don't tell me to settle down, Calvin Reed! This is Bobby we're talking about. Don't tell me not to be upset!" She looked at the social worker. "Mr. Graham, I know that part of your job is to look out for the best interests of children. Making sure that they are safe, have shelter and are well taken care of. I understand all of that. But when it comes to Bobby Goren, you are totally out in left field."

"Mrs. Reed, I sympathize with you, but Mr. Goren has shown an interest in his son. I can't turn my back on that," Mr. Graham said. Doreen's mouth dropped open. "Richard doesn't give a damn about Bobby! It hurts me to say that, but it's a fact. The only person Richard cares about is Richard. Heaven help the person who stupidly gets in the way of his wants or his needs." "Mrs. Reed, I think you're over exaggerating the situation." "No, I'm not. Even before he and Frances were dating and got married, Richard had always been a gambling, drinking charming sweet talker who always got what he wanted come hell or high water. What you saw at the hospital on Tuesday was a small taste of what Richard could do to him."

Mr. Graham reached into in his briefcase and pulled out a manila folder. "This is Robert's file. I've reviewed it more than once since he was assigned to me. Nowhere in here does it say he's been abused by his father," he said as he shook the file at Doreen. "I can't go by hearsay and speculation." "You won't find anything in there because we have always managed to help Frances and Bobby before Richard did any serious harm either one of them," Doreen said. "I'm speaking from years of experience, not hearsay or speculation, Mr. Graham. You keep trying to force Richard to take responsibility for Bobby, his own flesh and blood, I can practically guarantee what happened on Tuesday will happen again. Only this time someone will get seriously hurt before help will arrive."

* * *

Susannah said, "Mr. Graham, there are seven people in this house right now who love Bobby very much. We all want what's best for him. My husband and I and the Reeds are just asking for a chance to help him." Mr. Graham regarded the 4 people who were looking anxiously at him. He touched the tips of his fingers together repeatedly for a minute before letting out a deep sigh. "I consider myself a tough, but fair and reasonable person. I'm not a hard hearted person, but I do expect rules to be followed," he said.

Doreen opened her mouth to protest, but Mr. Graham held up his hand to stop her. "Please let me finish, Mrs. Reed." She sat down without saying a word. "You can go to the meeting tomorrow. If Mr. Goren does show up, then he has the final say about whatever punishment is handed down. I strongly suggest that someone speak with Mrs. Goren about having other legal guardians besides her ex-husband appointed for Robert." He looked at Doreen, a small grin gracing his lips. "You were about to say something, Mrs. Reed?" She smiled from ear to ear as she shook her head. "Only to say thank you," she humbly answered.

Susannah reached over and squeezed Mr. Graham's hand. "Thank you," she said. He bowed his head slightly. The kitchen timer went off, so she got up. Bill asked, "You'll stay for dinner, won't you, Mr. Graham?" He shook his head as he placed the folder back into his briefcase. "I should be going." Susannah paused by his chair on her way to the kitchen, touching his shoulder. "Please stay. We insist," she said. He chuckled lightly. "Of course, I'll stay."

Susannah smiled as she walked out of the room. As she was heading towards the kitchen, she made a small detour. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the 4 teenagers sitting there. "Everybody go wash your hands. We're having chicken potpies for dinner," she said. She pointed at Bobby. "We're going to have a talk after the meeting with Mr. Clayton." Susannah walked away before anyone had a chance to respond.

**

* * *

****Thursday, September 8, 1977  
Harpers' Apartment Building  
****Bedtime**

It was 11:05 p.m. CeCe was laying in her bed, unable to sleep. She was worried. Worrying about what Bobby's father was going to do to him tomorrow. _"His daddy is gonna kill him because of me. I know it!" _Her mind raced with all sorts of scenarios of how Bobby would meet his demise. _"I gotta know what's going to happen." _CeCe laid there for a few minutes until she couldn't stand it anymore. She threw back the covers as she felt a dull throbbing pain in her forehead. _"The headache is back."_ She took off her nightgown and quickly dressed in some street clothes and shoes.

CeCe opened her bedroom door slowly and quietly. She slipped out of her room and walked to Rosalie's bedroom. No light was shining underneath the door, but she had to make sure she was asleep. She opened the door just a tiny bit, turning her head to the side to listen. The soft snoring emanating from the direction of the bed told CeCe that Rosalie was definitely asleep and would stay that way until the alarm went off.

CeCe sighed softly as she closed Rosalie's door. She knew that if she got caught, she'd be in deep trouble. She stopped briefly to rub her forehead. The headache was beginning to grow stronger. Feeling her way in the dark, she found Derek's keys hanging on the key hook. She took them and one of his hooded jackets, making her way to the door. She unlocked the door, being extra careful not to make any noise with locks. She opened it and walked out. She locked the door behind her, then put on the jacket, throwing the hood over her head, before going down the stairs and out the front door.

**

* * *

****Thursday, September, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
****Bedtime**

Bobby was back in Lewis' room, laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. He couldn't sleep knowing that tomorrow all hell would break loose if Richard showed up at the school. _"Why couldn't I have a normal family like everyone else?"_ He heard a tiny plinking sound coming from the window. _"What in the world was that?" _He raised his head when he heard the noise again. He listened intently for the sound to occur again, but it didn't. _"I must be going nuts now," _he thought as he dismissed the sound. As soon as he laid his head down, the plinking sound came back.

Bobby got up, turning on the desk lamp. "Turn the light off," Lewis mumbled grumpily as he turned over and pulled the covers over his head. Bobby ignored the mumbling and went to open the window. He looked down, seeing a dark hooded figure standing next to the house. The figure reached up and pushed back its hood, revealing a crying CeCe. She stood there looking at him. He gave her a small smile. "I'll meet you out front," he said. She nodded, then walked away.

Bobby closed the window. He pulled off the pajama bottoms he was wearing and put on some jeans, slipping his bare feet into his sneakers. He grabbed his jacket and turned off the light. "Where are you going?" Lewis asked sleepily when Bobby opened the door. "Go to sleep. I'll be back," he replied as he walked out.

* * *

Bobby found CeCe pacing back and forth on the sidewalk when he emerged from the house. "Is that Derek's car?" he asked. She stopped pacing and nodded. "Does he know you're here?" "No. Nobody knows I'm here," she said quietly. "Geez, Louise," he said as he massaged the back of his neck. He held out his hand after putting on his jacket. "Gimme the keys." She handed them to him without any hesitation, then followed him to the car. Bobby got into the driver's seat; CeCe got in the passenger's seat.

"Where are we going?" CeCe asked. Bobby didn't answer. He turned on the car's ignition, put it into drive and drove way. She sat back in her seat, staring straight ahead. "Where are we going?" she asked again. "You'll see," he replied. _"He's mad at me," _she thought. Bobby made a few left and right turns before arriving at a well lit and busy park.

Bobby remained silent as he parked under a street light and got out of the car. CeCe got out as well, scurrying around the car to catch up with him. He pointed at a picnic table and said, "Let's go over there." She rubbed her forehead as they walked. The headache pain was starting to increase. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Nothing. I bumped my head on the doorframe when I got out," she lied.

Bobby sat on top of the picnic table, his elbows resting on his legs. CeCe sat next to him. "Is it always this busy?" she asked as she looked around the park at the people who were either jogging or walking their dogs or hanging out. "Yeah. A private security company patrols the place," he said, watching a pair of female joggers jog pass by with his eyes. CeCe reached over and touched the side of Bobby's face. He turned his head, nuzzling his cheek in her hand.

Tears welled up in CeCe's eyes. The cuts and scrapes Bobby had on his face bothered her. "Are you okay?" she asked. He chuckled. "I'm okay. I've looked worse than this," he said. She withdrew her hand, placing it in her lap. She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her hands as teardrops rolled down her face. "D-D-Derek thinks that you've done something to me. Is that why y'all were fighting?" He let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, pretty much," he replied. She rubbed her fingers back and forth over her right eyebrow. _"I knew it! This is my fault!"_

* * *

CeCe said, "Derek said you looked scared because your daddy is coming to the school tomorrow. What is he gonna do to you?" Bobby scoffed as he looked away. "He doesn't scare me," he said. "You didn't answer my question. Is he gonna do something to you?" He just shook his head, not saying a word. _"You don't need to know what's gonna happen," _he thought. "Bobby, please tell me," she begged softly. "You don't need to know."

CeCe slid off the table, rubbing her temple as she went to stand in front of Bobby. "I do need to know," she pleaded. "Is he going to hurt you?" He looked her in the eye and said, "Don't worry about it." "I have to worry about it! Your daddy is gonna hurt you because of me, because of what I look like. I'm not worth all of this trouble you're going to have!" Bobby jumped off the table. "How can you say that?!" he asked, a tinge of anger in his voice. "I don't care what my dad does to me! I choose my friends, not him." "Being friends with someone who is different from you shouldn't cost you your life," CeCe said.

"Are you saying you don't want to be my friend anymore?" Bobby asked. "Of course I want to be your friend!" CeCe exclaimed. "But I don't want you to get hurt because we're friends. I'm not worth it!" He crossed arms over his chest. They stared at each other in silence. "You are worth the trouble," he finally said. She hung her head low, shaking it despite the increasing dull throb of the headache. "He's gonna kill you because of me," she said.

Bobby shrugged his shoulders. "Then I'm glad I got to meet you." CeCe glanced up and noticed the little smile on his lips. He uncrossed his arms as she closed the space between them, wrapping her arms around his waist. He could feel her crying as he wrapped his arms around her. "Don't give up on me yet, CeCe. I'll make it through this," he said. He held onto her until he felt her crying subside.

Bobby let go of CeCe, holding her at arm's length. "You feel better?" Her shrug was so faint that he almost missed seeing it. "A little," she sniffed, wiping her nose on her jacket sleeve. Her headache was still there. "Let's go," he said, taking her by the hand to lead her to the car. They rode in comfortable silence on the way back to the Lewises' home.

Bobby put the car in park, opened the door and got out. CeCe slid into the driver's seat as he closed the door. She rolled down the window, allowing him to lean down and rest his arms in the window frame. He noticed the pained look on her face. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded lightly. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do or say. Finally, CeCe leaned over and kissed Bobby's forehead. "Good night," she said. "Good night." His legs began to feel like jelly as he stood up and stepped back.

CeCe gave Bobby a small wave before she rolled up the window and drove away. He stood there for a moment, trying to recover from her kiss. He shook himself a little then walked towards the house. _"Please let tomorrow go smoothly,"_ he thought as he went up the steps. _"Better yet, keep my dad away from all of us."_


	14. The Calm Before the Storm

**Author's note: My apologies for not posting sooner, but Real Life is starting to get in the way again. LOL Anyway, I want to thank everyone for their patience. And as always, I owe all of you readers/writers thanks for reading and/or reviewing my stories. I greatly appreciate it. Here's the usual disclaimer: LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a little bit. Any and all mistakes belong to me. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

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Friday, September 9, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Bedtime

Bobby slipped quietly into the Lewises' home, closing and locking the front door noiselessly behind him. He climbed the stairs, taking them 2 at a time and went into Lewis' room. He entered as quickly and quietly as he could without waking up his sleeping friend. He took off his jacket, tossing it on the back of the desk chair. He was changing out of his jeans back into his pajama bottoms when Lewis asked sleepily, "Where you been, man?"

Bobby sighed softly. He stood there in the dark, internally debating whether or not he was going to answer the question. He knew Lewis was just being concerned about him, especially with this latest round of trouble he was in. "Bobby, where you been?" Lewis asked again. "I went to the park with CeCe," Bobby replied as he moved towards his bed, slipping under the covers. He laid down facing the wall. "She okay?" "Yeah, I guess. She's just worried." "Worried? Worried about what?" "Worried about what my dad is going to do to me."

Lewis sat up in the bed, turning on the bedside lamp. "She should be worried like the rest of us, " he said. Another sigh escaped from Bobby's lips as he sat up. He said, "You and everybody else are worrying for nothing." Lewis made a face as he placed his feet on the floor. "You're full of shit, Bobby! You're acting like it's no big deal that your dad is coming to the school in the morning. When in reality, it is a big deal because we all know he'll do something to hurt you."

"If he does something, fine! I'll deal with it. I'm not scared of my dad," Bobby hissed through clenched teeth. "Your dad is a crazy lunatic," Lewis hissed back. "He's gonna tear the school apart just to beat the hell outta you because you got into trouble! How can you sit there and NOT be just a little bit scared about that?" He and Bobby stared at each other. The fear that Bobby tried to hide was reflected in his best friend's eyes. "I-I-I gotta take a stand against my dad s-s-s-someday," Bobby said softly. "T-t-t-today might as well be that day."

Lewis pressed his lips together as he shook his head. He didn't like Bobby's decision, but he decided he'd respect it and go along with it."You're nuts. You know that?" he said. A small lopsided smile crossed Bobby's lips. "That's what everybody tells me," he replied. Lewis reached behind him and grabbed a small cushion, throwing at Bobby, who quickly caught it before it hit him in the face. "Turn out the light and go to bed, Jedidiah," he said as he tossed the cushion back. He laid down, arms folded underneath his head, staring at the ceiling.

Lewis turned off the bedside lamp before he got back under his covers. "Lewis?" Bobby asked. "Yeah?" "C-c-c-can CeCe still ride with us to school tomorrow? I mean today." Lewis chuckled lightly. "Sure, she can. Me, Mattie and Tricia have already worked out the plan for CeCe to ride with us." "What's the plan?" Bobby asked. "I've got it under control. Go to sleep, Robert," Lewis said. He drifted off to sleep within 5 minutes, while Bobby remained wide awake, staring at the ceiling. After tossing and turning a few times, his restless mind finally allowed sleep to overtake him.

**

* * *

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Friday, September 9, 1977  
Harpers' Apartment  
Breakfast Time

CeCe let out a loud yawn before she opened her bedroom door. Between the headache and the late night visit with Bobby, she really didn't get a lot of sleep. She picked up her satchel, checking it to see if her school books, sketchpad and wallet were inside before slinging it over her head. She stood still for a few seconds and rubbed her forehead. The headache pain had gone from being a dull throbbing pain to a sharp and constant throbbing pain.

Without looking in the mirror, CeCe felt the vein in the middle of her forehead standing out. A sure sign to those who knew her well that she was in serious pain. _"Please go away,"_ she pleaded silently to herself. _"If Mama sees this, she'll get upset."_ She furiously ran her hand back and forth over the offending vein several times before walking out of her bedroom.

When CeCe emerged from her bedroom, she heard the shower running from behind the closed bathroom door. Rosalie was standing at the kitchen counter. She was wearing a light mint green terry cloth bathrobe, cracking eggs into a bowl. "Good morning, Mama." "Good morning, sweetie," Rosalie said. She turned her head to look at her daughter, surprised to see her already dressed. "Oh. Why you dressed so early?" CeCe shrugged slightly. "I-I thought I'd eat breakfast at school, if that's okay with you," she replied.

Rosalie turned all the way around, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned against the counter. "That's fine," she said. "Did you sleep okay?" "Yes, ma'am," CeCe replied, nodding her head. She soon regretted that move as the headache pain intensified slightly. She bit her lip to keep herself from rubbing her forehead. "Can I have some aspirin, Mama? I have a little headache." At the mention of the word "headache," Rosalie's heart started to beat faster. She pushed herself away from the counter, pointing at one of the kitchen chairs. "Sit down, baby. Let me look at you."

CeCe hesitated before she sat down. She nervously chewed her lip as Rosalie walked towards her. The look of fear and concern on her mother's face scared her. _"Oh, no! Mama's upset. Please, vein, be gone!"_ She held onto her satchel, fiddling with the strap as Rosalie put her hands on either side of CeCe's face, tilting her head back slightly. CeCe fought back her tears while Rosalie searched her face. "Oh, Lord. Please, no," she said in a low, ragged breath.

A single tear made its way down Rosalie's cheek as she rubbed her fingers back and forth across the vein that was sticking out like a sore thumb on CeCe's forehead. "Oh, Lord. Please, no," she repeated as she tried to rub away a vein that she hadn't seen in 5 years, 1 month and 3 days.

_

* * *

_

Sunday, August 6, 1972  
Harpers' Home  
After midnight

_Rosalie Harper sighed heavily as she walked out of the kitchen, turning out the light behind her. She walked slowly down the hall towards the small study. She paused in front of the closed door, another heavy sigh escaping her lips. She just stood there staring at the closed door and shaking her head, her mind going back to that fateful day of June 24. The day that Isaac James Harper, her husband and father of Derek and Cecelia Harper, took his own life._

"_It's hard to believe you've been dead for over a month now," Rosalie whispered under her breath before she reached for and turned the doorknob. She stepped inside of the empty room, looking around at the blank walls and the empty built-in bookcase. She stared at the spot where Isaac's favorite easy chair used to be, the spot he chose to place a shotgun under his chin and pull the trigger, effectively scattering his brains and blood on the wall and bookcase behind him. Even though the room had been thoroughly cleaned and repainted, Rosalie would swear that she could still see Isaac's blood staining the walls._

_Isaac's brothers, Charlie Lee, Isaiah, Martin and Ezekiel, plus a couple of their male cousins from back home in North Carolina, came and took everything out of the room. They took it all someplace and burned it, including books and pictures. Rosalie and her mother took on the arduous task of cleaning up the blood and painting the room by themselves. Rosalie kept the door to this room closed, but not locked, just in case the kids wanted to come in. Neither one of them went down the hall towards that study anymore._

_Rosalie looked around one more time, letting out another sigh. She turned around and walked out, closing the door quietly behind her. She went down the hall, then walked upstairs to check on Derek and CeCe before retiring to her bedroom. She came to Derek's door first. She knocked softly on the door before opening it. 12 year old Derek was laying in the bed on his stomach, reading a comic book. _

_Rosalie walked up to his bed, looking down at him with a soft smile. "You do realize that it's after midnight, right?" she asked. He looked up at her and nodded as he said, "Yes, ma'am." "And you do know that WE are going to church later on in the morning?" Derek nodded his head again. "Finish reading your comic, then go to bed. You hear me, Derek?" Rosalie said in a soft but firm and loving tone. "Okay, Mama," he replied. She kissed his forehead, then walked out of his room. She headed towards CeCe's room next._

_CeCe's bedroom door was open slightly, so Rosalie just pushed it open wider. She expected to see CeCe sitting at her desk drawing something. Instead, she found an empty room. "_Hmmm. That's strange,_" she thought. She went down the hall towards the bathroom, but the door was open and the lights were off. "CeCe must be in my bed," Rosalie said to herself as she walked to her bedroom. When she opened the door, she noticed that the lights were on, but her bed was empty._

"Where is that child_?" Rosalie thought as she walked out and went back to Derek's room. She threw open the door and asked, "Where's your sister?" He shrugged and replied, "She's in her room, I guess." Rosalie grunted, walking away without saying a word. Derek jumped off the bed and followed his mother down the stairs. "Cecelia Rose," Rosalie called out repeatedly as she frantically searched for CeCe, with Derek right on her heels._

_Rosalie went to the front door, noticing that the locks had been unbolted. "Stay here," she told Derek as she stepped outside onto the porch. He did as he was told, standing in the doorway and watching her. She looked to the left. No sign of CeCe anywhere. Then she looked to the right. What Rosalie saw made her blood run cold through her veins: 10 year old Cecelia Rose Harper, barefoot and wearing a nightgown, walking down the middle of street. Worse than that? An old beat up pickup truck that was going more than the posted 20 mile speed limit was barreling down the street towards CeCe._

"_CeCe!" Rosalie yelled at the top of her lungs as she literally jumped off the porch and ran towards CeCe, who was oblivious to the danger she was in. "CeCe! Wake up, baby!" Rosalie's shouts woke up some of the neighbors, who turned on their lights and started grumbling. "_Please, Lord. Don't take my child, too_," Rosalie thoughtas she ran as quickly as possible to close the distance between her and her sleepwalking child._

_CeCe had stopped walking. She stood in the middle of the street, staring at the headlights that were coming towards her. She held her arms up and said, "Daddy?" The truck's driver blew his horn. He was not about to stop. "Here I am, Daddy." Still unaware of the danger she was in, a big smile covered CeCe's face. "Cecelia! Please wake up!" Rosalie yelled breathlessly. With the truck less than 30 yards away from running her child down, she managed to put on an extra burst of speed. _

_Rosalie grabbed CeCe by the shoulders, pulling her out of harm's way just as the truck whizzed by. "Stay the hell outta the street, you dumb kid!" the driver said with a drunken slur. He kept on driving. Derek and some neighbors crowded around Rosalie, who had CeCe cradled in her arms. "Wake up, baby," she said, giving her a firm shake. CeCe frowned as she opened her eyes. "What's wrong, Mama?" she asked in a small voice. Rosalie shook her head, saying, "Nothing's wrong. I just need you to wake up now."_

_As she was looking at CeCe, Rosalie noticed a vein sticking out on her forehead. She had seen it before, right after Isaac's funeral, but didn't think much of it. "You got a headache?" she asked. CeCe nodded. "You been having nightmares?" "Yes, ma'am." Rosalie hugged CeCe tightly, rocking her body back and forth, tears flowing down her face. It finally dawned on her that CeCe processed pain and guilt differently than most people did. She looked down at CeCe as she continued rocking her body. "I'll get you some help to make the headache go away," she said softly. CeCe gave her a small trusting smile. "Okay, Mama."_

* * *

Rosalie sniffed as she squeezed CeCe's shoulders. "You know you can tell Mama anything. I won't get mad or upset. Is-is there something you want to tell me?" she asked. CeCe's eyes widen a little with fear. How could she tell her mother that Tank was bothering her or that Bobby was about to get hurt? _"Mama wouldn't understand," _CeCe thought. "There's nothing wrong, Mama. Honest," she lied. "You sure you don't want to tell Mama something?" "Yes, Mama."

Rosalie knew CeCe was lying to her, but she didn't want to pressure her. Not yet, anyway. She ran her fingers over the vein one more time. She said, "When you get home, maybe we can call Mama. She told Charlie Lee that she hadn't heard from you since you got back." CeCe nodded her head. "Okay." "Do you still want the aspirin?" "No. My headache's gone." Another lie. Rosalie sighed, kissing CeCe's forehead before taking a step back. "Have a good day, sweetie. I'll see you later," she said. CeCe stood up, a small dimpled smile on her face. "Thanks, Mama. See ya later." She hurried out of the apartment as fast as she could. Rosalie went back to the kitchen counter. She stood over the sink, gripping it by the edges, softly crying uncontrollably. She looked towards the sky, thinking to herself, _"Whatever is bothering CeCe, please let me know, let me see it before she gets hurt."_

CeCe was crying as she leaned against the wall when she reached the first floor. She didn't like lying to Rosalie, but she just knew she wouldn't understand what was going on with her. _"Mama's got to deal with Derek. She can't deal with my problems, too."_ She reached into her satchel, pulling out her handkerchief. She wiped her nose and her tears, then put it back. She rubbed her forehead a few times, trying to will the headache to go away. _"I'll go to the nurse's office later," _she thought as she pushed herself off the wall and headed outside.

* * *

"Hey, CeCe," Mattie said when CeCe came out of the door and down the steps. "Hi, Mattie. What are you doing here?" "We came to take you to the Lewises for breakfast." "We?" Mattie pointed across the street at a yellow cab. Standing next to it was Tricia, who was talking to an older man. "Um, who's that man?" CeCe asked. "Oh, that's our uncle Blake," Mattie answered. "He's off duty now. He'll drop us off on his way home."

"Oh," CeCe said. She shuffled her feet and played with her satchel strap as she looked at the ground. "Thanks for the offer, Mattie, but maybe that's not a good idea." "Why?" Mattie asked, a puzzled look on her face. "You think we're mad at you or something?" CeCe replied softly, "No. It-it's not that. It's just that, maybe I'm probably not welcomed to be around you all." Mattie waved a dismissive hand. "Pfft. Please. Just because Derek and Bobby got into a fight and are mad at each other, doesn't mean that we don't want to hang out with you. Trust me, Bobby needs a lot of bright, happy places in his life right now."

CeCe raised her head to look at Mattie, who had a big smile on her face. "Bobby's our friend. If he thinks of you as his friend, then that means you're our friend, right?" she said. CeCe nodded. "I-I guess so." Mattie said, "Look at it this way, CeCe. Whatever trouble is about to go down today, Bobby's gonna need us, ALL of us, to have his back. You included."

A small smile brushed CeCe's lips. "Thanks, Matt," she said softly. "You're welcome," Mattie said. She took CeCe by the arm and began guiding her across the street. "Now, let's go. I'm starving." CeCe laughed at the way Mattie was beginning to sound very much like Lewis.

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Friday, September 9, 1977  
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis  
Breakfast Time

"Thanks for the ride, Uncle Blake," Tricia said as she waved from the Lewises' front porch. Mattie knocked on the door, then turned around to wave before knocking on the door again. CeCe stood at the bottom of the steps. She waved at Uncle Blake, too as he drove away. Tricia let out an exasperated sigh as she walked back down the steps. "Why are you standing down here?" she asked CeCe. She lightly grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her up the steps behind her. "I was just standing there. No need for all of us to be crowded at the door," CeCe answered. She winced in pain as she rubbed her forehead. "You okay?" Mattie asked. "Yeah, I'm okay. I've got a little headache is all," CeCe said. In actuality, the headache pain had intensified more since she left home.

Mattie was about to knock on the door again when the door opened. There stood Lewis, dressed in jeans and a yellow t-shirt with double brown stripes on the sleeves and chest. "Dammit, Mattie, you can't hear anything, can ya?" he said. "I told you to wait a minute." "I can hear just fine. You need to talk louder," she said. Lewis rolled his eyes as he opened the door wider, stepping aside to let all 3 girls walk into the house. "Hey, CeCe," he said after closing the door. "Hey, Lewis." She removed her satchel from around her neck, placing it on the floor under the table where everyone was piling their books. "You okay?" he asked. "I'm okay," she replied.

Tricia inhaled deeply, smelling the air. "Blueberry?" she asked. Lewis nodded and said, "Yep. Dad's making blueberry waffles. Cara and Jennie got here about 20 minutes ago." Tricia and Mattie both clapped their hands. They absolutely loved blueberry waffles, especially when they were made by Bill Lewis. They headed towards the dining room without hesitation.

"Come on, CeCe," Lewis said with a chuckle, "before they eat everything." "Where's Bobby?" CeCe asked quietly. "He's still up in my room getting dressed." CeCe cast her eyes upstairs, then down to the floor. "I'm gonna wait for him if that's okay." Lewis shrugged, then smiled. "Sure. See ya in the dining room." He turned around and walked away. He stopped, then turned around, heading back towards CeCe. He sighed as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"You know nobody's mad at you, right?" Lewis asked. CeCe rubbed her temple as she nodded. "That's what Mattie said," she answered. "Bobby is…Bobby." He sighed heavily. "A lot people think they know him without really getting to know him. He's really a good guy." "I know," CeCe said softly with a smile. Lewis was surprised by her response. "Oh. Okay. Well, I-I'll see you in the dining room," he said. He turned around and quickly walked away.

* * *

CeCe smiled to herself as she leaned against the wall next to the door. She held her head down and stared at the floor, rubbing the vein on her forehead. The headache pain was starting to become a little bit unbearable. _"I've got to get some aspirin." _CeCe raised her head when she heard footsteps on the stairs. It was Bobby. "Hey, CeCe," he said. "Hey, Bobby." She watched him as he walked down, noticing that he and Lewis had on the exact same shirt, except Bobby's was light blue with dark blue stripes. _"He looks nice."_

Bobby placed his books on the table when he reached the bottom of the stairs and walked over to CeCe. "You still have a headache?" he asked. "Yeah," she replied. Bobby moved CeCe's hand out of the way as he leaned closer to examine her forehead. He ran his thumb back and forth over the vein. "You got this when you hit your head?" CeCe nodded silently. He stepped back, folding his arms across his chest and said, "That's the strangest injury I've ever seen." "I can't help it if I get hurt differently than everybody else."

Bobby stood there, staring at CeCe, who stared back at him. "So, are you mad at me?" he asked. "For what?" she said, a puzzled look on her face. He shrugged. "I don't know. For anything." "No, I'm not mad at you about anything." He held his right pinky finger out to her. "Pinky swear," he said. CeCe gave Bobby a wary look before hooking her own pinky finger with his. "I still wish you would tell me what your dad is going to do to you," she said softly after shaking his hand. Bobby shook his head. "Don't worry about it. E-e-everything will be okay," he said.

CeCe lowered her head as she shook it. She was trying to hide the tears that were threatening to show. Bobby sighed heavily. He figured he'd better change the conversation quickly before she started crying. He said, "That's a very nice dashiki you're wearing." She looked up at him, surprised he knew what to call her blue and white tie-dyed shirt. Bobby stuck out his chest a little and gave CeCe a smug grin. "Yes, I know what a dashiki is and how to say the word correctly," he said smugly. "Thanks. Mama made it for me," she said proudly with a big smile. "You look good. Blue is very pretty on you." CeCe blushed.

Bobby tapped the end of CeCe's nose with his index finger. He said, "Your nose is red again. I'm gonna have to start calling you 'Rudolph.'" CeCe narrowed her eyes at him and said, "You are not funny, Bobby Goren." She tried to keep a serious look on her face, but the slight upward curve on her lips gave her away. He leaned down, his nose barely inches away from hers. "Of course, I'm funny. You're smiling," he said playfully. He straightened up and laughed while CeCe rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said.

Bobby gently tugged on one of CeCe's braids. "Come on. Let's go eat," he said. He took her by the hand and led the way to the dining room. As they were half way to their destination, Susannah came up to them. She looked at Bobby. Then she looked at CeCe, who standing slightly behind Bobby. Then she looked down, saw that CeCe was holding Bobby's hand with both of hers. She tried to let go, but he held on.

"What?" Bobby asked quietly. Susannah looked at him, shook her head and said nonchalantly, "Nothing. I was about to tell you two to come and eat. Bill's almost finished with the last batch of waffles." She then turned her attention to CeCe. "Good morning, CeCe," she said with a smile. "Good morning, Mrs. Lewis." She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to figure how to ask Susannah for some aspirin. "Can I have some aspirin, Mrs. Lewis?" she finally asked.

"Sure you can, CeCe," Susannah said. A concerned look covered her face as she felt CeCe's forehead with the back of her hand. "Do you feel achy, sweetie?" "Oh, no, ma'am. I just have a small headache," CeCe replied. Susannah smiled, then patted her shoulder. "Alright. I'll get the aspirin. You guys go and eat breakfast." Bobby looked at Susannah, giving her a shy smile before looking away. She chuckled lightly to herself. "Thanks, Mrs. Lewis," CeCe said. "You're welcome," she said as she stepped out of their way and headed towards the stairs.

Susannah paused at the bottom of the steps and watched Bobby and CeCe walk to the dining room, hand in hand. She smiled as she started to hum. As she was climbing the steps, she began singing softly under her breath, "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore."


End file.
